Would Power Rangers have done better in theaters if it was rated PG?

In an effort to please old fans and new, Power Rangers deviated a bit from its source material. But Dean Israelite thinks maybe PG-13 was too much.

To bring Power Rangers to theaters for a new generation, Dean Israelite needed to reimagine the hit ’90s TV show. Along with the rest of the crew behind the making of this reboot, he took what made the show great, built upon it and expanded the story into something that could sustain a big franchise for Lionsgate.

And from where I’m sitting, Power Rangers definitely had the potential to be a hit. It was funny, charming, sweet, and it really played up some of the cheesy aspects that originally drew fans to the franchise. Furthermore, the Power Rangers’ story was redesigned and focused more on an alien storyline, with advanced tech and suit redesign.

Yet, Power Rangers didn’t really conquer the box office the way a fan or the studio may have wanted. It only made $140.2 million dollars at the box office worldwide, grossing just a paltry $85 million domestically. It made the same amount domestically as Miss Peregrine’s Home and The Accountant. From a fan’s perspective, it should’ve done way better.

Especially because the movie was pretty good. Well, pretty enjoyable, at least.

So what happened at the box office? The movie’s director, Dean Israelite, theorizes that the movie struggled because of its PG-13 rating. When asked if he thought the rating had an effect, he admitted:

"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."

Rita’s design may be wack, but I thought the most aggressive thing in the movie happened when Jason slapped the bully in detention. It felt like the slap heard around the world. If anything, I think they could’ve gotten away with PG if they made Rita less scary. Or … a certain death less heartbreaking, I guess.

Though, I’m not a parent.

I’m just a Power Rangers fan hoping for a sequel, which is still up in the air. Luckily, Screenrant notes that toy sales may help secure a Power Rangers 2.

If you haven’t watched Power Rangers yet, get some popcorn and stream it, because it is pretty enjoyable if you’re any degree of fan when it comes to fun action films.

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