Predator - 1987
Alien - 1979
Thunderbirds - 1964

Why wouldn't you base games on older movies? The right demographics

There are plenty that sold well  a long time after their introduction date. TBL is a bit different as not being what I would think of as mainstream....

Plenty of old themes (that were still kicking around at the time of the game introduction) - eg Bally and DE Star Trek, Superman,  TSPP, AC DC, Doctor Who, Monopoly, Playboy x 3, The Incredible Hulk.

Here as some others that seemed to do OK -

1980 Buck Rogers - 1928, sold 7410
1995 Scared Stiff  - Cassandra started in the early 1980's, sold 4,028 units
1981 Flash Gordon  - 1934, 10,000 units
2003 Elvis Introduction date 1953
1993 Rocky & Bullwinkle -  1959, sold 5,500 units
1993 The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard - 1975, sold 4,700 units

Drum roll –
1993 Twilight Zone Introduction date 1959 – sold 15,235 units