In case you haven’t seen Terminator: Genisys, and aren’t sure about where it falls in the convoluted temporal timeline of the Terminator series, all you need to know is that it’s a “preboot.” It’s following the plot of the original Terminator, but on an alternate timeline (sorta). Why? Because rather than show dedicated fans of the series something new, Paramount thought it was best that they go after “new” audiences that only want to see something familiar, tried and true, lest they cower in fear at a narrative not seen before in an Arnold Schwarzenegger-is-a-robot-movie.
Hollywood loves reboots and prequels so much right now that they want them to make love and create preboots. Yes, preboots. Something to kickstart cash cows back into delivering that sweet sweet franchise milk. Prometheus is kind of a good preboot, X-Men: First Class was great, but Terminator: Genisys was the motion picture equivalent of Budnick holding onto your waist and spending your arcade cash (except more confusing). That’s probably why the sequel to the prequel reboot (presequeboot?) that was unfathomably titled Terminator 2, has been removed from Paramount’s release calendar.
It’s true that Terminator: Genisys was the second-highest grossing Terminator movie (behind Terminator 2), but it was darn expensive to make and didn’t put butts in seats. The budget was $155 million, marketing was estimated at $50-100 million in the U.S. alone, and considering it only made $89.8 million in North America, chances are it barely broke even with a $400 million-ish take worldwide. So, the series is likely dead for now. But that’s okay. No problemo.
