A '90s Comic Book Movie Sequel Returned To The Top 10 At The Box Office

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Cowabunga it was at the box office over the weekend. Most of the focus this weekend was on the winners of the 2026 Oscars, with "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners" leading the charge. The Academy Awards tends to lead to a quiet weekend for new releases in theaters. But Fathom Events and New Line Cinema saw an opportunity to capitalize on some nostalgia, as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze" returned to the top 10 at the domestic box office thanks to its 35th anniversary re-release.

"Hoppers" ($28.5 million) led the weekend, with newcomer "Reminders of Him" ($18.2 million) taking the number two spot and A24's "Undertone" ($9.3 million) coming in at number three. So, the frame wasn't devoid of new movies making waves. Even so, director Michael Pressman's 1991 sequel "Secret of the Ooze" pulled in $1.4 million on nearly 1,400 screens, which was good enough for eighth place on the charts. "Ninja Turtles" fans showed up in a meaningful way.

A sequel to the unexpected box office hit that was 1990's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," the film follows the eponymous heroes as they search for a new home. Meanwhile, the Turtles' still-living nemesis Shredder (François Chau and David McCharen) learns the secret of the mutating ooze that birthed the heroes in a half-shell and uses it to create his own mutated minions in the forms of Tokka and Rahzar (both voiced by Frank Welker).

In its original run, "Secret of the Ooze" made $78.6 million in theaters against a $25 million budget. And while that wasn't nearly as much as the original's $200 million-plus worldwide total, it was still a win. It's also a movie that people of a certain age clearly have a fondness for to this day.

"TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze" is a relic of a bizarre era of children's entertainment," but it also represented a true point of no return for the Ninja Turtles as towering figures in pop culture. What started as a riff on "Daredevil" in the pages of some black and white comics created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, by 1991, was a multi-million-dollar multimedia franchise with endless potential.

This specific live-action version of the property remains beloved, with Arrow having released an impressive 4K "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" box set earlier this year. 1993's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III" ended this iteration of the franchise, but the success of "Secret of the Ooze" guaranteed at least one more sequel. More than that, it helped ensure a future for this property for generations to come.

Paramount has wisely made new iterations of animated "TMNT" shows consistently, which has kept the Turtles alive for new generations, rather than relying on '90s kids who feel nostalgic for these specific movies. 2023's "Mutant Mayhem" was similarly a big hit and has a sequel on the way. It even paved the way for the since-canceled "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" TV series, which helped fill the void and build the modern fanbase.

Paramount now has a new live-action "TMNT" movie in development. The studio previously canceled its R-rated "TMNT: The Last Ronin" movie, but it may yet revisit the project one day, given just how much folks love its source material. Meanwhile, the success of "Secret of the Ooze" over the weekend just further proves that the franchise remains remarkably popular. It's the rare property with multiple generations of fans.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze" is currently in theaters.