Mackenzie Davis says it’s “insane” to expect a Terminator: Dark Fate sequel

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

If you were holding out hope for a sequel to last year's TERMINATOR: DARK FATE, one of its stars, Mackenzie Davis, is here to break your heart.

During an interview with "NME", Davis was promoting her latest project IRRESISTIBLE when the subject of TERMINATOR: DARK FATE and a sequel was brought up. While Davis acknowledged loving making the film, she was pretty blunt about demand not being there for another installment:

"I really loved the movie [Dark Fate] and I’m so proud of what we did, but there wasn’t a demand for it [at the box office] and to think that there’d be a demand for a seventh film is quite insane. You should just pay attention to what audiences want – and they want new things and I want new things. There are many interesting people that don’t fit the mold of those who make these big franchises who have not had the chance to make movies. We should be investing in them right now."

I would have to agree with Davis that demand just isn't there. I actually enjoyed TERMINATOR: DARK FATE and thought it was miles better than TERMINATOR: SALVATION or TERMINATOR: GENISYS but a string of mediocre sequels since TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY has soured the fanbase and unfortunately I think that had a direct impact on the mediocre performance of DARK FATE. Carrying a reported $185 million budget before marketing costs, the film only grossed $62.2 million at the domestic box office and $261.1 million worldwide. Paramount Pictures definitely took a loss on the film and that was even with the franchise retconning all the sequels after T2, bringing back fan-favorite Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his signature role and James Cameron coming back on as a producer and providing the template for the story. Director Tim Miller definitely made a competent film that is easily the best sequel since T2 but I think it was a case of too little too late.

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE followed an augmented human and Sarah Connor teaming up to stop an advanced liquid Terminator from hunting down a young girl whose fate is critical to the human race. The film also stars Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta. The film received a decent reception from critics, scoring a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which made it one of the better-reviewed sequels of the bunch but audience demand just wasn't in the cards for a franchise that has likely hit a wall. 

Do YOU want another TERMINATOR sequel or should they close the book on this franchise for good?