Moviefone Editorial

Tag: @movieid:20079924

  • Honest Trailers Points Out That ‘Power Rangers’ Is ‘The Breakfast Club’ With Ninjas

    The Honest Trailers narrator likes “Power Rangers” as much as millennials do.

    Screen Junkies has released its latest Honest Trailers video, and its latest subject is the recent reboot of the ’90s teen ninja superhero franchise. There is plenty of the usual mocking, but there is a lot of complimentary commentary as well. In fact, the narrator argues that the film warrants a sequel.

    What Honest Trailers likes so much about the flick is ironically not the action but the emotional stuff. The video highlights the kids’ problems and how those and the Rangers’ bond are what viewers actually come to care most about.

    “if you loved ‘The Breakfast Club’ but wished they all turned into ninjas at the end, then this is the movie for you,” the narrator says.

    Another shining moment is when the video postulates that adults “just pulled random edgy traits out of a hat” to come up with the teenage characters personalities. Now that we think about it, that actually wouldn’t surprise us…

    Watch the video below.

  • ‘Power Rangers’: Millennials Powered Film’s Strong Box Office Opening

    “Power Rangers” may be new, but many of the franchise’s fans aren’t.

    When the reboot opened over the weekend, it wasn’t Generation Z that drove tickets sales; instead, comScore data shows that millennials accounted for by far the largest percentage, THR reports.

    The superhero flick might center on a group of teens, but that didn’t stop the 18 to 34 crowd from turning out. It seems they were eager to see more of the warriors they grew up watching. PostTrak, comScore’s polling service, found that millennials made up 73 percent of “Power Rangers” ticket buyers. Specifically, 34 percent of moviegoers were 18 to 24 years old, while 39 percent of the audience fit in the 25 to 34 crowd.

    With the might of its millennial fans, “Power Rangers” easily beat box offices estimates. The reboot pulled in $40.5 million in North America compared to a projected $30 million. Not even the popularity of “Beauty and the Beast” could keep the movie down.

    Nostalgia is clearly a powerful force.

    [via: THR]

  • Watch New Power Rangers Geek Out Over Old Power Rangers Toys

    RJ Cyler and Becky G from Power Rangers
    RJ Cyler and Becky G from Power Rangers

    Everybody loves those old Power Rangers toys. Even Power Rangers.

    Made in Hollywood reporter Kylie Erica Mar raided her childhood toy chest for her favorite Mighty Morphin action figures, guns and gloves for an impromptu playdate with the stars of the new “Power Rangers” movie.

    “Are you ready for show and tell? You’re going to get so excited right now,” Mar tells RJ Cyler, who plays Billy the Blue Ranger, and Becky G, who plays Trini, the Yellow Ranger.

    “I’m so scared,” admited Cyler — until he and Becky G saw what Mar dug out of her bag.

    “A morpher!” said Cyler.

    “Oh, my God, that’s crazy!” added Becky G.

    Cyler then couldn’t resist firing a red Ranger ray gun while Becky G. played with a pair of Yellow Ranger action figures.

    It turned out this wasn’t the first time they’re reunited with some favorite playthings.

    “When the Japanese original creators came to us on set they gave us some original toys,” said Ludi Lin, who plays Zack, the Black Ranger.

    Still, the toys revealed that that even Power Rangers’ powers have their limits.

    Handed a pair of pink gloves that makes sounds, Naomi Scott, who plays Pink Ranger Kimberly, asked, “How do you turn it on?”

    20079924

  • Here’s How ‘Power Rangers’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast Crushed It at the Box Office

    Hollywood seems to think remakes are easy ways to make money; just pick a familiar title and let nostalgia do the work for you. Actually, as remake-weary viewers know, such movies are hard to do right.

    This week’s box office, however, proves it can be done, given the continuing success of “Beauty and the Beast” and the estimated $40.5 million debut of “Power Rangers.” Disney’s live-action remake of the animated classic held on to the top spot in its second weekend, with an impressive $88.3 million. (Some pundits predict that tally could go up to $90 or $91 million by Monday, a crazy-good total for a second weekend.)

    The weekend results also offer a cautionary tale of how not to do it, with “CHiPs” opening well below expectations in seventh place, with an estimated $7.6 million.

    Why did digging up the past work so well for “Beauty” and “Power Rangers,” and so poorly for “CHiPs”? Here are the reasons.

    1. Audiences Love Some Nostalgia — Unless You’re ‘CHiPs’
    “Beauty” and “Power Rangers” both date back to the ’90s, yet neither ever really went away.

    From the show and about $6 billion worth of toys out there.

    “CHiPs” (that’s how they spelled it then) may have had a big pop culture footprint 40 years ago, but aside from whatever lingering fondness our culture still has for the NBC motorcycle cop action series, which ran from 1977 to 1983, but the show hasn’t been seen much in reruns since then. So it’s hard to imagine too many fans, new or old, yearning to see Ponch and Jon ride side by side down the Pacific Coast Highway once more.

    2. Update What Fans Love
    “Beauty” maintained fan loyalty by not changing much at all. It did add just enough novelty (It’s live-action now! With IMAX-worthy spectacle! And some intriguing sorta-gay subtext!) to justify the new version’s existence.

    “Power Rangers” was a trickier adaptation. The original was fun and campy and colorful but also thoroughly juvenile. What could give the Lionsgate remake appeal to fans who are now grown-ups as well as teens who’ve never seen the old show? Make it into a young-adult sci-fi/fantasy movie (with a strong dose of Marvel). This YA-y approach worked very well for Lionsgate in the past, with the “Twilight” and “Hunger Games” franchises. The result seemed to hit the demographic sweet spot, with the movie drawing an audience that was 50 percent over age 25 and 30 percent under 18.

    “CHiPs” underwent a more radical overhaul, with writer/director/star Dax Shepard playing up the comedy and giving the characters elaborate backstories. In other words, it’s “CHiPs” in name and premise only; most of what original “CHiPs” fans may have loved about the old show is gone. Granted, this approach worked for the “21 Jump Street” movies, but at least those were well-written and acutely self-aware. And they also had one asset that “CHIPS” lacks —

    3. Star Power
    The “Jump Street” movies at least had proven box office draws in Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. “CHIPS” stars Shepard and Michael Peña are not proven ticket-sellers, and they’re both lacking in the charisma department; they’re not even as charming as Estrada and Larry Wilcox were on the small screen. With all this stacked against the film, on top of audiences not caring about the TV show at all anymore, it’s amazing (and crazy) that Warners pulled the trigger on it at all. Let alone thought it was a good idea to begin with.

    “Beauty” and “Power Rangers” both get by without star power being much of an issue. Because the titles and brand are the draw. “Power Rangers” features “Hunger Games” alumna Elizabeth Banks in a well-tailored role as its diva villain, but no one’s coming to see her; it’s all about the quintet of heroes in the candy-colored costumes.

    4. Buzz Means Everything
    “Beauty” did just okay with critics (earning a 71 percent “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) but wowed audiences, who gave it an “A” CinemaScore. “Power Rangers” did not wow critics (46 percent on RT), but audiences ate it up anyway and gave it an A CinemaScore, too. Both benefitted from strong word-of-mouth, which was not the case for “CHIPS.” Neither critics nor audiences cared much for it, judging by the movie’s 20 percent RT rating and B- CinemaScore.

    5. Family-Friendly Ratings
    It probably didn’t help that “CHiPs” was rated R, indicating a raunchiness that would both repel fans of the squeaky-clean TV show and keep out younger viewers.

    “Power Rangers” may be a lot more mature than its TV source, but it’s still rated PG-13, the ideal rating to draw fans who want to see a movie with some grit but without keeping young ticketbuyers away. Even “Beauty” is rated PG, which is about as far as it can go to indicate grown-up content while still being a family movie.

    6. Timing
    March has been a huge month for summer-style blockbusters, but this weekend was especially crowded, with three new wide releases competing. “Beauty” certainly benefitted from having last weekend all to itself. Still, even with the movie doing just half the business of last weekend’s record-smashing debut, “Beauty” was still impossible to compete with, doing about $28 million more than the three new wide releases combined.

    The week’s lone new movie that wasn’t a remake, sci-fi/horror thriller “Life,” should have been a bigger draw for women, both because of its horror premise and the casting of both Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds. Nonetheless, the film opened in fourth place, underperforming with an estimated $12.6 million. “Life” failed to draw women (its audience was just 45 percent female), maybe because they were all still lining up for “Beauty.”

    You’d think “Life” would have done well, thanks to its star power and decent reviews. But audiences didn’t like it (it earned a dismal C+ at CinemaScore), suggesting that the movie would have done poorly even on a less competitive weekend.

    It’s this kind of disappointing result, for an original screenplay filmed with a star-studded cast on a modest budget ($58 million), that leads Hollywood to believe it’s safer just to keep filming remakes.

  • Box Office: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Dazzles Again, ‘Power Rangers’ Off to Solid Start

    box officeBy Dave McNary

    LOS ANGELES, March 26 (Variety.com) – Disney’s second weekend of blockbuster “Beauty and the Beast” is dominating moviegoing in North America with $88.3 million at 4,210 locations — capping the best March ever.

    Lionsgate’s rebooted “Power Rangers” is launching with a solid $40.5 million this weekend while Sony’s space-thriller “Life” showed only moderate traction with $12.6 million. Warner Bros.’ action-comedy “Chips” opened with a disappointing $7.6 million at 2,464 sites.

    The “Beauty and the Beast” weekend is one for the record books as the fourth-largest second weekend of all time, trailing only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at $149 million, “Jurassic World” at $106 million, and “Marvel’s The Avengers” at $103 million.

    “Beauty and the Beast,” starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, declined just 49% from its opening weekend, which was the seventh-best ever. And after just 10 days in North American theaters, “Beauty and the Beast” is already 55th on the all-time domestic list at $317 million. It’s the fourth-largest 10-day domestic total ever.

    “Beauty and the Beast,” along with Fox’s “Logan,” Warner’s “Kong: Skull Island,” and Universal’s “Get Out,” have led a charge over the past month that has given the domestic box office a major boost. According to comScore, March box office has already hit $1 billion for the first time — with five days left in the month.

    “March has become a rockstar of a month and in particular 2017 enjoyed a perfect storm of new hits and strong February releases that showed amazing staying power like ‘Get Out’ and ‘The Lego Batman Movie,’ ” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore. “The cumulative allure of an impressive slate of films conjured up a flat out great month in theaters, generating impressive momentum as the industry charges into what promises to be a furious April and a smashing summer movie season that kicks off in May with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2.’ “

    Last year’s March set a record with $948.8 million domestically, led by Disney’s “Zootopia” ($255.9 million for the month) and Warner Bros.’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” ($209.1 million).

    “Power Rangers,” a re-imagining of the 1990’s television show about five teenage superheroes, outperformed expectations of about $30 million at 3,693 locations. The film earned an A CinemaScore from customers and A+ from the 30% of moviegoers under 18. The audience was 60% male.

    The cast features Becky G as the Yellow Ranger, Ludi Lin as the Black Ranger, Naomi Scott as the Pink Ranger, Dacre Montgomery as the Red Ranger, and R.J. Cyler as the Blue Ranger. Elizabeth Banks plays the evil alien witch Rita Repulsa.

    The movie centers on the origins of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a group of high schoolers given extraterrestrial powers who unite to save the world. Lionsgate and Haim Saban announced plans in 2014 for a live-action movie based on Saban’s “Power Rangers” property as the first film in a franchise; Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has asserted that it may do as many as seven films. “Power Rangers” carries a $100 million price tag.

    David Spitz, Lionsgate’s domestic theatrical distribution president, noted that the movie showed strong traction amid all demographics — even with “Beauty and the Beast” remaining a potent draw. “We always thought the two films could be complementary to each other,” he added.

    Spitz also noted that “Power Rangers” debuted in the same late March slot as the studio’s “Hunger Games” and “Divergent,” enabling it to take advantage of the spring break for moviegoers. The third weekend of Warner-Legendary’s “Kong: Skull Island” was headed for third place with $14.4 million at 3,666 locations, which gives the giant ape a domestic total of $133.5 million in its first 17 days.

    Sony-Skydance’s “Life” stars Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, and Jake Gyllenhaal as International Space Station astronauts threatened by an extraterrestrial life form. It’s performing at the lower end of expectations in third place, despite generating mostly positive reviews with a 67% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

    David Ellison’s Skydance financed 75% of “Life,” which has a $58 million budget. Its audience was 55% male and 57% over 25.

    The fourth weekend of Fox’s “Logan” followed in fourth with $10.1 million at 3,687 sites. “Logan” is 2017’s second highest grosser with $201.5 million in Hugh Jackman’s farewell to the Wolverine character.

    Universal-Blumhouse’s fifth weekend of surprise hit “Get Out” finished fifth with $8.7 million at 2,474 locations. The horror-comedy, Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, has become enormously profitable, given its $4.5 million budget.

    Warner Bros. rolled out action-comedy “Chips,” starring Dax Shepard and Michael Pena, amid muted expectations. The R-rated reboot of the TV series, which starred Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox, has not gained much critical traction with a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the budget is a relatively modest $25 million.

  • What Movies Are Out: Power Rangers, CHIPS, Wilson

    Power Rangers
    Power Rangers

    What Movies Are Out – Made in Hollywood Show Previews Power Rangers, CHIPS, Wilson

    Old TV shows get the movie treatment as “Power Rangers” and “CHIPS” leap from the small screen to the big one, and Made in Hollywood has all the details in this week’s episode.

    Elizabeth Banks finds her evil side — and gives herself a physical makeover — as the villainess Rita Repulsa in “Power Rangers.”

    “One of the hardest parts about it was that I wore contact lenses, which I’ve never done before,” the actress tells reporter Kylie Erica Mar. “Not only are they contact lenses, but they’re colored and they’re really funky. And they rendered me nearly blind.”

    Transforming the low-budget TV show into a blockbuster action film challenged the young stars who donned the fancy new “Power Rangers” suits.

    “Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott and Ludi Lin Power took time out of playing with their action figures and guns — courtesy of Made in Hollywood — to reveal the serious side of getting into shape for their high-flying roles while filming in Canada.

    “I trained pretty hard before I even got to Vancouver,” says Scott. “What’s interesting is it wasn’t just an aesthetic thing. To have the stamina to get through the shoot, because it was such a physical shoot, it was just as well for us as actors to stay strong and healthy. It was a tough, tough shoot.”

    In “CHIPS,” Dax Shepard and Michael Pena replace television’s Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada as motorcycle-riding California Highway Patrol officers in this comedy costarring Shepard’s wife Kristen Bell.

    “I loved working with my husband,” the actress tells reporter Julie Harkness Arnold. “I married him because I like spending time with him. I also married him because I trust him. And that’s really what it is. When we work together we get to spend time together.”

    For audiences seeking more original fare, Woody Harrelson plays a lonely, neurotic and hilariously honest middle-aged man who reunites with his estranged wife (Laura Dern) and meets his teenage daughter for the first time.

    “I just thought it was a really dynamite script,” says Harrelson. “Daniel Clowes, who also wrote the graphic novel, also wrote the script. I thought it was really funny, quirky, a really unusual guy.”

    “I fell in love with it, too,” adds Dern. “I think it is heartbreaking and subversive and poetic.”

    To find the nationally syndicated Made in Hollywood in your area, go to “Where to Watch” on the homepage.

    20079924

  • 6 Things You Need to Know Before Seeing ‘Power Rangers’

    It’s only March, and it already feels like summer movie season is in full swing.

    The next blockbuster out of the gate is “Power Rangers,” a big-budget reboot of the popular TV series. But don’t worry if you haven’t watched an episode in 20 years. We’re breaking down everything you need to know so you can bring a little Morphin’ Time into your life.

    1. It’s a RebootDon’t worry if you’re not caught up on all 24 seasons of the “Power Rangers” TV show. Unlike the previous theatrical film from 1995, this movie serves as a total reboot for the franchise. Hardcore fans will recognize the main characters and many other callbacks to classic TV episodes, but the point is to appeal to a wider audience thirsty for a mash-up of superhero movies and “Pacific Rim.”

    All you really need to know about the movie is that it features five ordinary high schoolers who gain super-powers and band together to fight an evil sorceress using their giant robots. You know, the typical teen experience.

    2. You’ll See Some Familiar Faces
    The Power Rangers have gone through countless changes over the years, with the show constantly re-branding itself and rotating out old cast members in favor of new ones. But for many Power Rangers fans, the original cast of “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” will always be the definitive lineup, so we’re not surprised to see the movie going back to that well.

    “Power Rangers” features new versions of the original five Rangers — Red Ranger Jason (Dacre Montgomery), Pink Ranger Kimberly (Naomi Scott), Blue Ranger Billy (RJ Cyler), Yellow Ranger Trini (Becky G), and Black Ranger Zack (Ludi Lin).

    Naturally, the Rangers will still be accompanied by their giant-headed mentor, Zordon (Bryan Cranston) and hyperactive sidekick Alpha-5 (voiced by Bill Hader).

    Also, the film will feature a cameo by OG Pink Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson.

    3. These Are the Most ‘Grounded’ Power Rangers Ever“Power Rangers” is directed by Dean Israelite, best known for 2015’s “Project Almanac.” That’s apparently a sign of what fans can expect from this reboot, as Israelite has said the tone will be similar. (Here’s hoping it’s not as terrible as the director’s feature debut.)

    Expect a slightly more grounded take on the Power Rangers mythos, one that focuses a great deal on the team’s dysfunctional relationships with each other and their parents.

    4. The Rangers Get Super-Power’d UpDon’t expect things to be too grounded, however. At the end of the day, “Power Rangers” is still the story of five color-coded heroes battling monsters through the twin powers of martial arts and friendship. The story, judging by the trailers, seems to be “Chronicle” meets Power Rangers, with our heroes getting expose to a space rock thing that gives them the need for morphin’ time.

    Expect plenty of crazy monster designs in the new films, though, including some seriously upgraded Putties and a new take on iconic villain Goldar.

    The Rangers themselves will also be getting a serious upgrade in the costume department. Whereas the show tends to portray them as simple martial artists in spandex, the Rangers will be gaining actual super-powers in this reboot. Between super-strength and some seriously upgraded armor, these Rangers are ready to punch evil in the face.

    5. Rita Repulsa Is the Big BadWith the original team of Power Rangers being featured in this reboot, it’s only fair that their greatest nemesis, Rita Repulsa, also sticks around. This time around, the green everything will be played be a very cackle-heavy Elizabeth Banks.

    But rather than being just a hammy villainess who conjures an endless stream of giant monsters for the Power Rangers to fight, look for the movie to devote a lot more time to exploring her backstory. We’ll learn a lot more about the history between Rita and Zordon, and how she went from being Earth’s greatest protector to its worst nightmare.

    6. There Could Be SequelsSaban Entertainment is planning for multiple sequels to this reboot, possibly even “five or six” by the time all is said and done. (Read: If the movie is a hit, and that is a big “if”). And with so many new Rangers and monsters left to explore, it’s not as if there’s a shortage of material for these movies to mine.

    We assume that the first order of business for the sequel will be to introduce Rita’s master, Lord Zedd, and fan-favorite hero Tommy, the Green Ranger.

    We’re keeping our fingers crossed that one or both of these characters will have some sort of cameo appearance in the film.

    “Power Rangers” hits theaters March 24th.

  • ‘Power Rangers’: Watch Original Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson Surprise Cast

    SCAD Presents 19th Annual Savannah Film Festival - Molly Shannon Spotlight Award Presentation“Power Rangers” may have gotten a reboot, but the OG rangers still live large in the hearts of fans, including the new cast.

    Original pink ranger Amy Jo Johnson, who starred in the ’90s Fox Kids series, brought the old and new together by surprising stars Naomi Scott, Ludi Lin, and Dacre Montgomery at a recent press junket in Toronto. Pretending to be a Daily Hive reporter, she showed up to interview them, and their reaction was pretty priceless. Thanks to the video she shared, we get to see how it went down, plus watch the subsequent interview.

    After the trio recovered from their shock, they traded notes with Johnson, covering a lot in a short time. The actors opened up about the impact of the film, the rangers’ new powers, and more. Apparently, we can expect to see a lot of cool changes, but sadly not acrobatics like Johnson’s.

    Watch the surprise and interview below.

    “Power Rangers” opens on March 24.

    [via: Amy Johnson/YouTube; h/t: EW]

  • The ‘Power Rangers’ Suit Up and Go, Go in New Trailer

    Power Rangers“Are we more like Iron Man or Spider-Man?” wonders one of the “Power Rangers” in the new trailer for the movie about the teen superheroes.

    Maybe a bit of both, actually. The new trailer shows that these teens certainly know how to crack a line, all while brimming with excitement at the prospect of wearing really cool armored suits, wielding really cool gadgets, and kicking not-so-cool villainous butt in the form of Rita Repulsa (a wonderfully campy Elizabeth Banks).

    There’s not a ton of new footage, though we get a first glimpse at Red Ranger (Darce Montgomery) using the signature Power Sword. The best part of the trailer comes at the end, when Bill Hader’s robotic assistant Alpha 5 gets in a few punches and screams “Yeah! Power Rangers!” like the kid inside all of us.

    “Power Rangers” opens in theaters March 24.

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  • See Bryan Cranston as Zordon in New ‘Power Rangers’ Trailer

    power rangers, reboot, zordon, bryan cranstonA new full-length trailer for the upcoming “Power Rangers” reboot gives audiences their first look at the new Rangers transforming into their hero selves, as well as sneak peeks of familiar characters like robot sidekick Alpha 5 (voiced by Bill Hader) and Ranger mentor Zordon (Bryan Cranston).

    It’s the latter character who’s of most interest, since Cranston’s casting was a bit of a head-scratcher at the time it was announced. What was the award-winning Oscar nominee doing in a reboot of a silly kids’ TV series? It turns out that the actor was quite impressed by the script, particularly its handling of teenage issues like bullying, and compared its transformation from campy television show to serious big-screen feature to that of another superhero series, “The Dark Knight.”Though we’re not necessarily getting “Dark Knight” vibes from this trailer, it does have a decidedly different mood from past “Power Rangers” projects we’ve seen, and Cranston’s presence adds some gravitas to the proceedings. His version of Zordon can probably best be described as “anthropomorphic screen,” and though that sounds pretty odd, it does look pretty cool in action (and light-years more advanced than the giant blue floating head used in the ’90s TV version).

    The “dark and gritty” trend has been done to death (a fan-made short film even tried this tactic before with “Power Rangers,” with surprisingly successful results), but this flick looks like it has potential to be more than just another reboot for the sake of reboot. We’ll remain cautiously optimistic for now.

    “Power Rangers” is due in theaters on March 24.