Posted in: Movies | Tagged: film, power rangers

The PG-13 Rating Hurt 'Power Rangers' According To Its Director

Published Sun, 25 Jun 2017 11:15:06 -0500

There was a lot riding on the recent Power Rangers reboot. They had a whole series planned out, up to six movies, and it looked like the studio was betting the farm. However, they may have made a big misstep when it came to the tone of the movie. In an attempt to bring the series to the adult fans that loved it they made it a bit too intense for the kids needed to justify a franchise. In an interview with Screen Rant director Dean Israelite said that he thought the PG-13 was the reason the movie didn't find an audience at the box office.

"Yes, definitely. Definitely. And not only do I think it, but there's been market studies on it, and the findings have been that if the movie were rated PG- I don't want to go into the specific numbers- but if the movie had been rated PG, there would have been more traffic. I think parents were unsure if they could bring their kids to the movie, which surprised me, because the movie is a tame PG-13.

We did a lot of preview screenings, and to me, it felt like a seven-year-old might be scared, but in a good way. They liked that they were scared of Rita, but they still came out of the movie enjoying it, they liked what was going on. I think we really tread that line well, so it was disappointing that parents didn't know that they could take their kids to it. I'm hoping now, with it coming out on DVD and Blu-ray, and On Demand, that parents will feel more comfortable. That maybe they'll check it out for themselves and then see that it's suitable."

He's not wrong. A movie that is looking for a kid audience that starts off with a joke about jerking off a bull doesn't work. If the movie does find an audience on home release and the merchandise sales go up perhaps the series will get the opportunity to try again. At the moment though it's a looking less and less likely that a sequel is going to happen.

A group of high-school students, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities in order to save the world.

Power Rangers, directed by Dean Israelite, stars Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Lundi Lin, Becky G., Elizabeth Banks, and Bryan Cranston. It's out on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD from June 26th.

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