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Could Mighty Toy Sales Lead to a ‘Power Rangers’ Sequel After All?

K

KSweeley

Member
Link: http://www.slashfilm.com/power-rangers-sequel-toys/

Fans loved Power Rangers. Everyone else, not so much.

Although for a while it seemed as if fan enthusiasm could will a Power Rangers sequel into existence, that didn’t seem to be the case after the abysmal international box office numbers came in for the silver screen reboot of the kitschy ’90s TV series. But there may still be hope for a sequel after all thanks to one factor moviegoers may have forgotten about: toys.

According to a report from Toy News, Power Rangers toy sales have become mighty, morphin’ force to be reckoned with, growing 122.8% this year to date with April sales figures up 185.9% from the previous year. This makes Power Rangers the number one action figures brand of all toy sales.

Tess Parsons-Broome, marketing manager at master toy partner, Bandai, commented on the unexpected success of the Power Rangers toy sales: “These are fantastic results testament to the strength of the Power Rangers brand, which at the end of April, ranks 11th across all toy properties.”

So what does this mean? Well, toy sales play a huge part in family-friendly franchises today — just look at how much emphasis Disney places in it for their Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney princess movies, which garnered them more than enough controversy thanks to their tendency to cater to young boys and forgo female action figures.

The surprising skyrocketing in Power Rangers sales could definitely garner interest in a sequel — another movie means more action figures with different costumes — especially since studios are looking to merchandising to increase revenue over declining Blu-ray/DVD and movie ticket sales, according to a report from the New York Times.
Click to expand...
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Huh that's pretty interesting. Had no clue the toys were selling so well. I wonder if this is more the super long time fans buying everything up because they're older and have the cash to or if this is a lot of younger kids getting the toys, or rather begging their parents to get them.
 
F

Fj0823

Member
I mean the toys I've seen are cool.

Little Me would've loved this sword

42521D-1054x630.jpg
 
P

Pachinko

Member
It might even do allright once it hits streaming and disc too.

I recall the first Austin Powers being a total bomb in the theater but VHS rentals and sales ended up through the roof so they ended up with 2 sequels.

There's also the good chance of , you know, reigning in the absurd budget just a bit. They really didn't need to spend 160 million or whatever on a Power Rangers film , 80-90 would have been plenty.
 
F0rneus

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
Movie was great. Defintetely deserves a sequel so I'll be keeping my hopes up thanks to this news.
 
K

KSweeley

Member
Pachinko said:
It might even do allright once it hits streaming and disc too.

I recall the first Austin Powers being a total bomb in the theater but VHS rentals and sales ended up through the roof so they ended up with 2 sequels.

There's also the good chance of , you know, reigning in the absurd budget just a bit. They really didn't need to spend 160 million or whatever on a Power Rangers film , 80-90 would have been plenty.
Click to expand...

This article here is also speculating that DVD and Blu-Ray sales could play a role in greenlighting a sequel as well: https://geeksofcolor.co/2017/05/29/toys-dvds-and-blu-rays-sales-might-save-power-rangers-sequel/

As we know, Power Rangers wasn’t as successful in the box office as we would’ve like it to be. That puts Lionsgate in the decision whether or not a Power Rangers sequel is worth a try.

However, there is a chance that we might get Power Rangers 2. The very same thing that propelled the franchise in the beginning is what could save it: Toy Sales.

According to a report of Toys News, Power Rangers’ action figures have shown a growth of 122.8 percent year to date, with April sales tracking up 185.9 percent versus 2016.

Another thing that might help set the mind of Lionsgate to make Power Rangers 2 is the response the DVD and the Blu-Ray have among the public.

Nothing is set in stone yet, neither if there’s going to be a sequel nor if it’s out of the table. Only time and money will tell us.
Click to expand...
 
F

Fancyarcher

Member
Pachinko said:
It might even do allright once it hits streaming and disc too.

I recall the first Austin Powers being a total bomb in the theater but VHS rentals and sales ended up through the roof so they ended up with 2 sequels.

There's also the good chance of , you know, reigning in the absurd budget just a bit. They really didn't need to spend 160 million or whatever on a Power Rangers film , 80-90 would have been plenty.
Click to expand...

The first Austin Powers wasn't a bomb in theaters, in fact it made well over 3 times its budget. It just sold so well on video that Paramount was willing to go through with a sequel.

KSweeley said:
This article here is also speculating that DVD and Blu-Ray sales could play a role in greenlighting a sequel as well: https://geeksofcolor.co/2017/05/29/toys-dvds-and-blu-rays-sales-might-save-power-rangers-sequel/
Click to expand...

DVD and blu-ray sales aren't what they used to be. Any chance of a film getting a non DTD / VOD sequel because of physical sales is pretty slim these days.
 
L

Lord Frieza

Member
Pachinko said:
It might even do allright once it hits streaming and disc too.

I recall the first Austin Powers being a total bomb in the theater but VHS rentals and sales ended up through the roof so they ended up with 2 sequels.

There's also the good chance of , you know, reigning in the absurd budget just a bit. They really didn't need to spend 160 million or whatever on a Power Rangers film , 80-90 would have been plenty.
Click to expand...

Similar thing happened with The Matrix. Well, the first wasn't a flop, but it really didn't hit the stratosphere until home media
 
MisterHero

MisterHero

Super Member
Fj0823 said:
I mean the toys I've seen are cool.

Little Me would've loved this sword

42521D-1054x630.jpg
Click to expand...
No thanks, I prefer the real deal.

$149.99
bana10611vhu81.jpg


It's great to see PR head into premium toys with the Legacy line. Star Wars doesn't have to be the only one with toys for adult fans.
 
J

JonnyDBrit

Member
Yeah, toy sales would be a major factor to consider here. Not just for direct movie toys as well either, but possible association for the brand as a whole. If that sort of boost/bump can be repeated, Saban will go for it.
 
G

Geist-

Member
I still haven't seen this, it seemed to disappear from my theater pretty quickly after it came out. Glad to hear it may be getting a sequel.
 
A

antonz

Member
What line of the toys was really successful would matter the most I would think. They had a ton of legacy toy relaunches and I imagine they have been very popular.

I guess toy sales are toy sales but if the sales skew towards the legacy stuff it really doesn't do much for future movies. I mean $60 for the legacy Power Ranger Morpher toy.
 
B

BattleMonkey

Member
Toy sales is what pretty much got GI Joe 2 to happen, the movie didn't do amazing, probably barely broke even, but Paramount had stated the merch sales brought in the money, so they went forward.
 
L

Loxley

Member
Is the children's toy market healthy overall? I remember for a while there video games and tablets were usurping the popularity of traditional toys with kids and there was this fear that the industry was going to collapse.
 
F

Fuchsdh

Member
Pachinko said:
It might even do allright once it hits streaming and disc too.

I recall the first Austin Powers being a total bomb in the theater but VHS rentals and sales ended up through the roof so they ended up with 2 sequels.

There's also the good chance of , you know, reigning in the absurd budget just a bit. They really didn't need to spend 160 million or whatever on a Power Rangers film , 80-90 would have been plenty.
Click to expand...

As was brought up when I pined for cheaper Star Trek sequels, the problem is Hollywood seems not to be willing to do "AA"-level films now. There are the cheaper "indie" productions and then massive blockbusters, and not a lot in-between, especially as they are chasing international markets hard these days.

Which is to say: your comment makes sense, but it seems in opposition with the business the movie industry is these days.
 
Z

Zackat

Member
This movie was much better than it had any right to be. I really liked the whole cast. Would be nice to see the sequel.
 
M

Mushroomer25

Member
This would be good news all around, if it happened. The best parts of Power Rangers (2017) were the principle cast, and their interaction outside of the goofy CGI action sequences. Any greenlit sequel at this point would have a significantly scaled back budget, and would thus have to focus on the film's strongest assets.
 
K

kswiston

Member
I am surprised that these toys are selling, since I see them in clearance bins in every Walmart/Toys R Us I visit.
 
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