Hasbro acquires Power Rangers and other Saban brands for $522 million

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

There were some big plans in place for the future of the POWER RANGERS franchise, with series creator Haim Saban even mentioning that they already had a six-movie arc mapped out, but based on the lackluster performance of Dean Israelite's POWER RANGERS at the box-office last year, coupled with a lukewarm audience reaction, the future of POWER RANGERS on the big-screen wasn't looking so bright. A new deal may eventually pave the way for their return however, as Hasbro has made a deal with Saban Properties to acquire the Power Rangers franchise as well as several other entertainment brands.

In addition to Power Rangers, Hasbro will also pick up My Pet Monster, Popples, Julius Jr., Luna Petunia, Treehouse Detectives and others, in a combination of cash and stock valued at $522 million. Not bad. This builds on a previous deal in which Hasbro was named the master toy licensee for Saban's Power Rangers in February. "Power Rangers is an iconic brand built on a heritage of great storytelling and merchandising with tremendous upside potential when fully executed across Hasbro’s Brand Blueprint," said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chairman and chief executive officer. "Shortly after entering into our licensing arrangement, it became clear that now was the time to begin investing in unlocking Power Rangers’ full potential. We see significant opportunity for Power Rangers across our entire Brand Blueprint, including toys and games, consumer products, digital gaming and entertainment, as well as geographically throughout our global retail footprint. We couldn’t be more pleased that Haim Saban will continue in a consulting role to further guide our development of this valuable property for the next generation of Power Rangers fans." In a statement, Haim Saban, founder of Saban Brands and creator of the Power Rangers, added:

25 years after launching Power Rangers, I believe the future for this brand has never been greater. Hasbro’s leadership in innovation, storytelling and brand stewardship make it the perfect company to further develop the global reach and appeal of the Power Rangers property. I look forward to working with Brian and the team in the years to come.

As Hasbro has a deal with Paramount Pictures to develop their various entertainment properties, such as G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., Micronauts, Visionaries, and ROM, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility that Power Rangers could be added to that list as well. Unlocking the "full potential" of Power Rangers may not include a new film franchise at this time, but I'd be shocked if Hasbro didn't give it a shot at some point.

As for why last year's POWER RANGERS didn't generate quite the response that Dean Israelite intended, the director has laid some of the blame on the PG-13 rating for "sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, language, and for some crude humor."

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.

We did a lot of preview screenings, and to me, it felt like a seven-year-old might be scared, but in a good way. They liked that they were scared of Rita, but they still came out of the movie enjoying it, they liked what was going on. I think we really tread that line well, so it was disappointing that parents didn’t know that they could take their kids to it. I’m hoping now, with it coming out on DVD and Blu-ray, and On Demand, that parents will feel more comfortable. That maybe they’ll check it out for themselves and then see that it’s suitable.

Would you like to see POWER RANGERS return to the big-screen from Hasbro/Paramount?