Credit: Nickelodeon Movies / Paramount PicturesA dark TMNT movie is hitting theaters this year.
The last few years have seen a resurgence of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Not that they ever really went away, but ever since producer Seth Rogen’s 3D animated reboot Mutant Mayhem stormed theaters in 2023, it’s felt like the early ’90s’ Turtle Mania all over again.
Mutant Mayhem took a huge slice out of the global box office with $180.5 million over its $70 million budget. A 2D animated TMNT television series set in the same universe followed soon after, and a theatrical sequel was greenlit just as fast.
However, Mutant Mayhem 2 was originally scheduled for release on October 9, 2026, but was recently pushed back to September 17, 2027 as part of a reshuffle at Paramount Pictures.
Related: R-Rated TMNT Reboot Confirmed as Legacy Sequel to Original 1990 Film
The Most Critically Acclaimed TMNT Movie Is Returning
It’s not all about Mutant Mayhem, though, as recent years have also seen IDW Publishing’s comic book series “TMNT: The Last Ronin” explode onto the scene, spawning sequels of its own, toy lines, a video game adaptation and a movie adaptation, both currently in the works.
This year is also an important one for the franchise as it’s the 35th anniversary of the first live-action film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990).
The film, which used practical costumes for the Turtles courtesy of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, got two sequels with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993). But they never quite lived up to the original, which remains the darkest theatrical entry in the franchise so far.
Now, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), directed by Steve Barron, is returning to theaters to celebrate its birthday. IGN unveiled the trailer for the re-release on June 30:
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The Success of the 1990 Film
“This summer, Turtle Mania is back!” the trailer announces, before adding that it features “never before seen footage” and that the film is only in theaters August 17 and 20.
The original film remains a cult classic and, until The Blair Witch Project was released in 1999, was the most successful independent film of all time, grossing $202 million on a budget of $13.5 million (it was also the ninth-highest-grossing film worldwide of 1990).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) stars Brian Tochi (Leonardo), Josh Pais (Raphael), Robbie Rist (Michelangelo), Corey Feldman (Donatello), Judith Hoag (April O’Neil), and Elias Koteas (Casey Jones).
There are no release dates for The Last Ronin movie or The Last Ronin game.
Will you be watching the original 1990 film in theaters this summer? Let us know in the comments!