Austin Powers, international man of mystery, may or may not be returning to the big screen in the near future.
As announced by the man himself, Mike Myers, at the 91st Oscar awards, per https://uk.news.yahoo.com/mike-myers-teases-austin-powers-010525257.html, where he danced around the question, not saying yes but certainly not saying no. Myers not only plays Austin Powers but his arch-nemesis Dr Evil as well.
Source: Pixabay
What is the big deal some might say, considering it has been 17 years since the last film was released? Well, let’s rewind a bit to 1997, when the franchise began as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and kicked off the phenomenon. It was in 1997 that we saw Austin Danger Powers, a spy for the British Mystery of Defence, hit the streets of London for the first time – a heartthrob that made all the women go weak at the knees.
The first film grossed £50 million worldwide, with the second movie earning the most at £237 million and the third at £225 million. Fans of the franchise kept coming back for more, to see what woman Austin Powers would have on his arm (Beyoncé being one of his leading ladies) and how together, they would defeat Dr Evil and stop his evil plans – the sharks with “fricking laser beams on their heads” never stood a chance.
Source: Pexels
How far a reach does the franchise have? Well, the films were popular enough to attract Starbucks to be a part of the second film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. It was a bit controversial, as in the film Starbucks was owned by Dr Evil. However, the success of the movie meant success for Starbucks – they didn’t have to pay for the placement, and ever since Dr Evil invested in Starbucks, the stock has returned 15% a year, as reported by https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/29/the-long-bet-how-starbucks-has-rewarded-long-term-investors.html. Which begs the question, could Austin Powers be credited for helping Starbucks become the household name it is today?
It’s safe to say that the films were a phenomenon and that everyone was a fan, waiting on the edge of the seats until the next one came out. Bringing attention to London as the city where Austin Powers hailed from. In fact, the UK Deed Poll office, where you can get your name legally changed, announced on their official site that at least once a week, someone had changed their middle name to Danger, after Austin Danger Powers. Pretty impressive you have to admit.
There are also countless games based on Austin Powers, from older ones such as the 2000 Game Boy Colour game, https://uk.ign.com/g00/games/austin-powers-oh-behave, and the 2001 pinball machine, https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/austin-powers, which is now a collector’s item for die-hard fans. In recent years, bookmakers Paddy Power have continued the Austin Powers momentum with an Austin Powered themed online slot machine at https://games.paddypower.com/c/slots. Players can get some groovy wins with a game that features their favourite characters and even fembot free spins.
From games to references in pop culture, it doesn’t seem as though Austin Powers is going anywhere, which is why when Mike Meyers teases a new Austin Power’s film from Dr Evil’s point of view, we can’t help but say “Yeah, baby! Yeah!” Hoping that this teasing we’ve had to endure since 2005, when Mike Meyers first announced the potential of a fourth movie, might actually come to an end with a new film on the horizon.
