It’s a lot harder to name a franchise that hasn’t suffered from the law of diminishing returns at least one, but there are few that have repeatedly failed as hard and as often as Terminator, leaving it a shadow of its former self when you consider the sci-fi saga began with two undeniable all-time classics that will forever stand the test of time.
James Cameron deservedly took the lion’s share of the credit, but even when he returned to produce and help write Dark Fate, the end result was a catastrophic box office bomb that lost upwards of $120 million. Incredulously, that was the third reboot in a decade that tried and failed monumentally to reinvigorate the brand, but the similarities don’t end there.
Salvation, Genisys, and Dark Fate were all touted as “the Terminator movie fans have been waiting for” that would usher in a brand new trilogy of apocalyptic adventures. Three-for-three in terms of the party line, zero-for-three when it comes to critical and commercial success.
You can make an argument that there’s no Terminator without Arnold Schwarzenegger, and now that he’s 75 years old, maybe it’s time for the pair of them to ride off into the sunset. Obviously, there’s a high chance that isn’t going to happen, but if there’s one long-running IP that’s had far too many chances and delivered absolutely nothing each and every time, it’s the war between man and machines.
A TV series might work based on the awesome Sarah Connor Chronicles, but on the big screen? No, just no.