"The Terminator" is a worldwide franchise that is revered by fans, but that does not necessarily mean the series needs to continue. But, in today's world of franchises, not having a new "Terminator" series in motion would seem foolish.

"Terminator: Dark Fate" is currently playing in theaters. While the film is not as harshly criticized as 2015's "Genisys" or 2009's "Salvation," the latest "Terminator" feature is still struggling at the box office with a U.S. opening weekend theater run of $29 million against a budget of $185 million.

Audiences are beginning to catch onto the Hollywood trend of more of the same with the "Terminator" films. You can only watch an unstoppable machine from the future go after a specific target so many times before the formula feels familiar.

Unlike current "Terminator" films, "Terminator" series creator James Cameron has largely moved onto other franchises ("Avatar", "Titanic") that push the envelope of filmmaking and expand his creative muscle. There is a reason that Cameron left the franchise he helped to kickstart when he did, and it was not simply money... the "Terminator" story has been told.

The "Judgment Day" event was averted in the '90s, and while no future is permanently set in stone, the story thread is ultimately better left for the audience to decide. But "T2" was a monster success, and a third "Terminator" was not a want for executives, but a must, with or without James Cameron at the helm.

2003's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" was a moderate success with Schwarzenegger back alongside newcomers Nick Stahl, who replaced Edward Furlong as John Connor, and Claire Danes as Kate Brewster against a new Terminator, the T-X (played by Kristanna Loken), though it failed to resonate with audiences in the same way as the previous two films.

But "Rise of the Machines" was one of the highest-grossing films of 2003, so yet another "Terminator" was inevitable, even if it would take close to a decade to be released. "Terminator Salvation" did attempt to bring new ideas to the table with the entirety of the film actually being set in the post-apocalyptic war with the machines that the previous three films were trying to prevent. But unfortunately, even with Hollywood A-listers such as Christian Bale and Bryce Dallas Howard, "Salvation" fared worse than its predecessor critically and financially, and once again returned the once-beloved "Terminator" series to dormancy.

The main human protagonist of the series, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), was written out with "T3" and thrown to the side to be forgotten... until now. Even the Governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has arguably been the face of the series since 1984, is 72 and not getting any younger. In order to keep the franchise alive for future generations, there needs to be new life inserted into the films, but audiences are not taking the bait.

"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" is hailed as one of the greatest sequels in film history for its continued development on the characters, world-building action, and Oscar-winning special effects. Robert Patrick's performance as the T-1000 is iconic, but every element introduced in the new "Terminator" films are not memorable or fail to leave a lasting impact.

"The Terminator" had its heyday in the '80s and early '90s with the films having a huge impact on the world. "Back to the Future" is another widely known film franchise known throughout the world, but it has not had a new series entry since 1990 and will stay that way, according to writer and director Robert Zemeckis. Yet, the "Back to the Future" series remains ingrained in our pop culture to this day.

All it takes is word-of-mouth and media platforms like Netflix to keep a franchise relevant, not unneeded sequels and spin-offs. There will always be a place for "The Terminator" in pop culture. However, Hollywood needs to take the hint that audiences have lost interest in continuing the fight against Skynet when there are many other film franchises that offer plenty of new ideas and concepts.