10 More Movies That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia And Failed
9. Power Rangers (2017)
When it was on television, the Power Rangers was one of the most popular television series for kids and young adults. That show went on to air for a total of 26 individual seasons spread between 1993 and 2018. Despite running on a near-continuous basis, fans had been hoping for a theatrical film for more than 20 years, with the last having been released in 1997.
In 2017, they got their wish, and the film made every effort to tap into the nostalgic base of the younger audience from the '90s, who were well into adulthood in 2017, and wanted a darker, grittier Power Rangers.
That's exactly what Lionsgate gave them in the form of a reboot, which focused on the main characters from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series from 1993. Fans were psyched for a return to the original program, and the talk of a new franchise arose almost immediately upon the announcement of the film, but sadly, it didn't do well.
Worldwide, Power Rangers only managed to pull in $142 million, which is a paltry sum where action/adventure/superhero movies are concerned. The production budget of $105 million, coupled with the movie's promotional budget, meant a massive financial loss, and talk of a franchise stopped dead in its tracks.