New Terminator will Attract Blockbuster Audiences – But is that enough?

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The Terminator movies comprise one of the best-known sci-fi franchises on the planet, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to end any time soon. Terminator 6 is supposedly due for release by the end of 2019, but for a lot of fans there is little to get excited about. Purists believe that the series should have ended after the events of Judgement Day, and indeed, the movies which have followed have fallen fairly flat with critics. The Terminator franchise is a massive cash cow for Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox and will doubtlessly pull in large audiences, but is releasing more installments detrimental to the legacy of James Cameron’s original two?

Arguably, Terminator 2: Judgement Day wrapped up Cameron’s movies perfectly. John and Sarah Connor had just destroyed Skynet and all evidence of the creation of Terminators. They had rewritten the future. All was well. It was a brilliantly concise and satisfying end to a couple of great films and was enough for them to earn legendary status and a place in cinematic history until the end of time.

The excellent sequel is by far the most popular film in the franchise and is considered by many to be one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever created. It is still hugely relevant in popular culture, and there have been a number of games based on it over the years. The Terminator 2 online slot at Ikibu is one of the most played iGaming offerings on the market, despite it being more than twenty-five years since the release of James Cameron’s much-lauded sequel. According to Casinowings.com, Ikibu has great bonuses, and there are a number of other popular games on offer at the site.

Unfortunately, twelve years after Cameron’s movies, Terminator 3 came along. To many hardcore fans, the simple explanation that the Skynet takeover had been postponed rather than averted seemed like lazy writing. Despite this, the movie did receive some fairly good reviews. The modern era of cinema dictates that long-running franchises are key to success so, needless to say, Terminator followed that pattern with Salvation in 2009 and Genisys in 2015.

Each of the films has done reasonably well at the box office, and have pulled in an average of around $400 million each. The name, along with the draw of Arnold Schwarzenegger are enough for many. Without the Austrian-American bodybuilder the franchise would likely be dead and buried, but thanks to CGI, he will appear in Terminator 6 and the younger Brett Azar will be used as a body double. Linda Hamilton will also be returning to the franchise as Sarah Connor. These factors should be enough to ensure that the next Terminator episode attracts large audiences.

Cameron is back as a writer for the upcoming installment, but will that be enough to save a series which has grown continuously confusing and messy as the years have gone on? It’s going to take something seriously special to revive the Terminator franchise and have it finally live up to the first two movies.