Power Rangers: Could Strong Toy Sales Lead To A Sequel To The Box Office Dud?

From L to R: Naomi Scott as “Kimberly,” RJ Cyler as “Billy,” Dacre Montgomery as “Jason,” Ludi Lin as “Zack” and Becky G as “Trini” in SABAN’S POWER RANGERS. Photo credit: Kimberley French.

Earlier this year, we saw the return of the beloved TV franchise Power Rangers to the big screen. It was the first theatrically-released film since Turbo: A Power Rangers movie in 1997 20 years prior. As such, fans and film lovers watched to see how if the world would accept this new interpretation. The trailers for the film were solid, and it seemed like it could do decently well at the box office.

Sadly, it received a soft $40 million opening, and only went on to gross $140 million worldwide on its $100 million budget. In terms of the film itself, it likely lost a decent amount of money once you took the advertising costs into account. However, it can’t be forgotten what the real moneymakers are here: the toys. There’s a reason why toy companies would invent a TV series around their made up figures — because they served as 30-minute commercials for the REAL product.

While the box office numbers may have been sad for Power Rangers, the toys seem to have picked up substantially in sales. According to Toy News (hat tip to /Film), the year has seen Power Rangers toys grow 122.8 percent in the year so far, and the April figures are up a whopping 185 percent compared to last year. As a result, Power Rangers has been ranked the number one action figures brand.

“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,” said Tess Parsons–Broome, marketing manager at master toy partner, Bandai. “Power Rangers has proven its position not only as a classic brand but as a must-have toy in such a competitive market place.”

So while the theater ticket sales weren’t great, it’s possible they incited more interest in the brand at large, and if this trend continues, it may very well be enough to justify a sequel to the first film. At the very least we know that they WANT to make a sequel. Prior to the film’s release, there was talk of six films from producer Haim Saban.

What do you think? Will the toys be enough to justify another flick? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Toy News (via /Film)

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