The Mutant Ninja Turtles aren’t teenagers anymore, as their classic 1990 film is returning to the big screen for its 35th anniversary. To this day, the original 1990Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesis held up by fans as one of, if not the best, adaptations of the heroes in a half-shell, combining the dark, gritty aesthetic of the original Mirage Comics with the colorful personalities of the heroes from the beloved 1987 animated series.The Jim Henson Company’s impressive costumes, which brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to life, still loom large in the public consciousness of how the audience imagines the characters in live-action.
Fathom Events, in partnership with IGN, will be screeningTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesin theaters to celebrate its 35th anniversary. The film will play in select theaters on Aug. 17 and 20th, 2025.Turtles Unmasked, a new featurette for the film, will also precede the screenings. The featurette features never-before-seen archival footage, extended deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes home movie footage, along with commentary from the film’s director, Steve Barron.
TMNT: Why the 1990’s Live-Action Movie Is the Definitive Adaptation of the Comic Books
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been adapted with different tones but it’s the 1990 live-action movie that best represents the comic books.
Despite the cartoon series and toyline being one of the most popular brands,no studio wanted to produceTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfollowing the disastrous response toMasters of the Universein 1987.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswas an independent production that New Line Pictures acquired the distribution rights for.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesopened in theaters on June 16, 2025, and went on to gross $135 million. It became the ninth-highest-grossing movie of 1990, but was the most successful independent film at the time and held the record for nine years, until the release ofThe Blair Witch Project.
Turtle Power!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesis easily one of the most influential comic book movies of all time. Releasedless than a year after Tim Burton’sBatman, it was seen as an early success story in a new age of comic book movies and the start of a push in the decade to adapt underground cult comic series likeThe Rocketeer,Barb Wire, andTank Girl. While none of those films took off,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgot two live-action sequels, a spin-off live-action television series, and a loose animated follow-up in 2007 before the film franchise was rebooted in 2014.
Now, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesbrand is still going strong with fans eagerly anticipatingthe sequel toTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Even 35 years later,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesremains a classic that still dazzles audiences as they get to see these legendary cartoon and comic book characters visualized on screen in a way that no amount of CGI can ever top.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesmay show its age in some respects, but it remains totally radical and makes an audience want to scream “cowabunga!”
Source:IGN
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
