RoboCop 3

Frank Miller (photographed in 1982)

Orion Pictures greenlit two more RoboCop films in June 1990, shortly before the release of RoboCop 2.[10] The film was directed by Fred Dekker, a director primarily known for cult horror films (Night of the Creeps, The Monster Squad). Comic author Frank Miller, who co-wrote RoboCop 2, returned to write the screenplay for the film. Still optimistic that he could make an impression in Hollywood, Miller hoped that some of his ideas excised from RoboCop 2 would make it into RoboCop 3. Major themes of the plot were taken from Miller's original (rejected) draft of RoboCop 2. Disillusioned after finding that his work was even more drastically altered, Miller left Hollywood, until the 2005 adaptation of his work Sin City. “[Working on RoboCop 2 and 3] I learned the same lesson,” Miller said in 2005. “Don’t be the writer. The director’s got the power. The screenplay is a fire hydrant, and there’s a row of dogs around the block waiting for it."[11] Miller's original screenplay for RoboCop 2, and source for major ideas in RoboCop 3, was later turned into a nine-part comic book series called Frank Miller's RoboCop. Boom Studios released an eight-part comic book series Robocop: The Last Stand which is based on Miller's original RoboCop 3 screenplay.[12]

The star of the previous films, Peter Weller, did not reprise the role of RoboCop, as he was starring in Naked Lunch.[13] The news of Weller’s retirement from the role in September 1990 led to rumors that the film would be cancelled, which producer Patrick Crowley quickly denied. Robert John Burke signed to play the cyborg character instead. The RoboCop suit Burke wore in the movie was originally built for RoboCop 2 (1990). Burke often complained that wearing it was painful after a short time.[14]

Recognizing that RoboCop's fan base consisted primarily of children, Orion Pictures cut down on the graphic violence that was seen as the defining characteristic of the first two films.[8]

RoboCop 3 was originally scheduled to begin principal photography on December 3, 1990, but was later postponed until February 4, 1991. Filming took place primarily in Atlanta with shooting at Auburn Avenue, Georgia Avenue Church, Allied Cotton Mills, and Old Alabama Street. The production took 14 weeks and concluded in May 1991.[10]

Initially scheduled for release in the summer of 1992, RoboCop 3 would languish on the shelf until the following year, as Orion Pictures went through bankruptcy and was bought out. Since Columbia TriStar Entertainment owned the international distribution rights to film, a completed workprint was theatrically released in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines during that time. After the buyout, Orion Pictures announced that it would finally release the film on July 16, 1993, but had to postpone the release again because it could not find enough distributors for a theatrical wide release. After this delay, pirated copies of the film started getting illegally sold on VHS in New York City in the summer of 1993. The film finally opened at the Charleston International Film Festival on November 4, 1993.[10] Because of release delays, its tie-in video game was released prior to the film, and thus revealed the film's plot beforehand.[15]

RoboCop 3 opened at number one in Japan, grossing 147,695,744 yen ($1.3 million) in its opening week from 17 screens,[18] and went on to gross over $10 million there.[19] It also opened at number one in France, with a gross of 9.6 million French franc ($1.7 million) from 317 screens.[19] In the US, it grossed $4.3 million in its opening weekend from 1,796 theaters, placing third, ending its run with $10.6 million in the United States and Canada.[6] Internationally, it grossed $36.3 million for a worldwide gross of $47 million,[7] against an estimated $22 million production budget.[6]

The film received negative reviews from critics, and is often considered to be the worst entry of the series. Rotten Tomatoes gives RoboCop 3 a score of 9% based on 33 reviews, with an average score of 3.30/10. The website's critical consensus states: "This asinine sequel should be placed under arrest."[20] Metacritic rates it 40 out of 100 based on 15 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21]

Richard Harrington from The Washington Post said the movie is "hardly riveting and often it's downright silly. The sets and effects betray their downsized budget."[22]

Chicago Sun Times critic Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars, disputing the characters' longevity. "Why do they persist in making these retreads? Because RoboCop is a brand name, I guess, and this is this year's new model. It's an old tradition in Detroit to take an old design and slap on some fresh chrome."[23] To Ebert's amusement, Gene Siskel's thumbs-down review on their TV show suggested that producers should consider making a movie with an evil RoboCop, or even a movie where RoboCop was female.

David Nusair from Reel Film Reviews gave the film two and a half stars, stating: "The best one could hope for is a movie that's not an ordeal to sit through, and on that level, RoboCop 3 certainly excels. When placed side-by-side with the original, the film doesn't quite hold up. But, at the very least, RoboCop 3 works as a popcorn movie—something part two couldn't even manage."[24]

Other points of criticism in this movie include curtailing the graphic violence of the first two films (deliberately done in order to be more family-friendly), less dark humor and the absence of Peter Weller in the title role.[25][26]