I don't know what you've heard, but just like the Backstreet Boys, the '90s are back — alright! Whether it's the return of jellies, body glitter, crop tops, or boy bands, the decade is coming back with a vengeance, and Hollywood has been quick to jump on the nostalgia train. '90s remakes and reboots have dominated the box office in the past five years, and there are only more reboots and remakes to come, like Jumanji and The Mummy. Before we get into the many '90s remakes and reboots on the horizon, let's take a look back at the nine best '90s remakes and reboots form the past five years, ranked from best to worst.
Just because the '90s are in doesn't mean every '90s remake and reboot is a winner. While some, like Jurassic World, have successfully relaunched that decade's franchises, others, like Independence Day failed to bring in audiences. Television revivals like ABC Family's one-season wonder 10 Things I Hate About You have yet to catch on — a much talked about Cruel Intentions television show never even made it on air. And yet, there are a handful of '90s reboots and remakes that have been pretty good, with some having even successfully rebooted entire franchises. As these nine '90s remakes and reboots released in the past five years show, some are hits, and some are most definitely misses.
1. Jurassic World
Jurassic World, the reboot of 1993's Jurassic Park, helped make Chris Pratt a bonafide movie star and grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The movie successfully rebooted the franchise, with a sequel currently in production.
2. Beauty And The Beast
Disney's live action Beauty and the Beast is a super faithful adaptation of the studio's 1991 classic. The remake has set a high bar for any future live action Disney adaptations, grossing over $600 million at the worldwide box office in less than two weeks.
3. Power Rangers
The new Power Rangers reboot, based off the successful '90s series and 1995 major motion picture, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, has received mixed reviews. Fans of the original series have responded positively, however, and the movie held the number two spot on opening weekend, just behind a fellow '90s property, Beauty and the Beast.
4. MIB 3
The third Men in Black film failed to impress, despite the return of Will Smith's bottomless charisma and cameos from Emma Thompson and Bill Hader. Alas, Men in Black 3 was probably the end of the '90s franchise, at least for now.
5. Terminator Genisys
Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to the Terminator franchise didn't help much. This '80s/'90s reboot failed to revive the franchise, grossing less than $90 million domestically.
6. Blair Witch
Blair Witch tried to recapture the magic of the 1999 horror classic, The Blair Witch Project. The reboot featured many of the same plot points and scare tactics as the original, and certainly delivered a few scares. However, now that everyone knows that The Blair Witch Project most definitely was not a documentary, the franchise seems to have lost its edge.
7. Independence Day: Resurgence
It turns out that not even Jeff Goldblum is enough to save an Independence Day reboot without Will Smith.
8. Dumb And Dumber To
20 years after the success of Dumb & Dumber, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels returned to deliver the comedy sequel fans had been begging for. Unfortunately, Dumb and Dumber To failed to impress audiences, and time will tell whether or not the film develops the same cult-like following as the original.
9. Point Break
An update on the 1991 classic, Point Break raised the stakes with bigger stunts (it's not just extreme surfing anymore) and bigger heists. The extreme sports weren't enough to draw audiences, however, and the movie grossed just shy of $134 million internationally.
Television has been somewhat kinder to '90s reboots, with shows like MTV's Scream and FX's Fargo building pretty substantial followings on their own. As we advance into the 2010s and 2020s, no doubt '90s nostalgia will keep growing, and us '90s babies will get to see many more of our childhood favs re-imagined on the big screen. Maybe they'll have better luck at the box office than the '90s reboots and remakes so far.
