In the 1980s and 1990s, many major franchises were born. Numerous films received further sequels or series. Above all, the science fiction genre thrived. Among them was also RoboCop. However, the attempt to revive the franchise failed 10 years ago.
What happened to the RoboCop series? The first RoboCop film was released in 1987, directed by Paul Verhoeven. The brutal film dressed in action was a biting satire on capitalism, portrayal of violence, and the commercialization of state institutions.
Contrary to its satire, the film became a larger franchise, ironically popular with teenagers and children as well. In addition to 2 sequels and 4 series, there was all sorts of merchandise like action figures.
In 2001, RoboCop: Prime Directives was released as the last series in the universe. 13 years later, MGM wanted to try again with a major remake. In 2014, RoboCop by José Padilha was released. The title character cyborg was played by Joel Kinnaman, who many may know today as Rick Flag from Suicide Squad.
Despite high earnings, a flop
What happened with the remake? The remake of RoboCop had a budget of 100 million US dollars. The film grossed a solid 242 million US dollars (via IMDb). At first glance, that doesn’t sound bad, after all, it earned more than double its budget. However, it still never led to a sequel.
What could be the reason? 242 million US dollars is not bad at all with a budget of 100 million US dollars. However, one must also consider marketing costs. Expectations must also be taken into account. One would likely expect a larger outcome from a film with such a big name.
One must also consider that the film grossed less than 60 million US dollars in the USA. For such an iconic brand, that’s not a good result. A similar fate befell Pacific Rim 2.
Why was the film not a huge success? One can only speculate why the film didn’t perform as MGM might have hoped. On one hand, the film may be seen as too tame. In Germany, it received a rating of 12. This stands in stark contrast to the original’s age rating of 18, which utilized violence for satire.
The remake lacks the satirical bite. While it attempts to address modern issues such as Afghanistan or Fox News, that was never the core of the film. It was a sci-fi action film that felt rather generic.
Lead actor Joel Kinnaman also pointed out the lack of satire in an interview with comicbook.com years later as a point of criticism.
What were the reviews like for the film? On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a poor rating of 50% based on 220 reviews. Among over 100,000 user reviews, the film only achieves a score of 49%. In the reviews, the main critique is that it does not live up to the original. The societal commentary from 1987 is missing, making the film more of a shell of the original film.
However, the positive voices focus on the action aspect. According to some opinions, the film manages to present that relatively well. As a popcorn flick, it seems to work for some viewers. What about you? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. If you’d rather play RoboCop, check this out: In this shooter, I feel like an action hero of the 80s, against whom no one stands a chance
