Borderlands' box office failure has been spectacular

Revenue of 30.9 million, barely above marketing costs. A real apocalypse

It’s one of the year’s biggest financial disasters, despite its cult video game roots, a notable cast led by Jamie Lee Curtis, Cate Blanchett, and Jack Black, and the success of ‘Fallout’ on Prime Video just a few months earlier. Unfortunately, Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rare 0% for several days.

Word of mouth failed this time due to a rushed and uneven finish, terrible digital effects, and a style that didn’t match the brutal original video game. It was revealed that director Eli Roth’s original plan was to make an R-rated film for adults, but a two-year script rewrite made it so unrecognisable that a new soundtrack was needed. Tim Miller (‘Deadpool‘) oversaw the many reshoots.

The film grossed $8.9 million in its first weekend after its August 9 release, far from the $115 million it cost to make and the $30 million spent on advertising, promotion, and marketing. It grossed $15.4 million in the US and $15.5 million internationally when its theatrical run ended a few weeks later. Total: $30.9 million, barely enough for promotion.

So ‘Borderlands’ falls short of other big box office flops of the year that did better. ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1′ cost $50 but grossed $36.1 million. Despite poor reviews, ‘Madame Web’ grossed $43.82 million on a $80 budget. ‘Argylle’s $200 million budget and $45.2 million earnings made it the biggest flop, surpassing ‘Borderlands’ on the right.

To no one’s surprise, Lionsgate’s Borderlands live-action film has finished its theatrical run with disappointing results. The movie grossed US$31 million worldwide, a quarter of its production costs, according to film industry data website The Numbers.

The film cost around US$115 million to make, not including US$30 million in promotion and distribution, Variety reported. According to these estimates, Borderlands barely made enough to cover its marketing costs. Despite star casts like Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis, it failed to draw viewers.

But how bad are these numbers? Poor compared to recent video game movies. Five Nights at Freddy’s made US$297 million last year and Uncharted made US$400 million in 2022. With US$42 million in box office, 2021’s low-budget Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City almost doubled its production costs.

The Borderlands movie was doomed from the start. Rotten Tomatoes reviews averaged 10%, and The Rolling Stone called it “an insult to gamers, movie lovers, and carbon-based life forms.” The film’s U.S. launch weekend earning only $8.8 million was disappointing.

Borderlands’ box office failure has been spectacular

Revenue of 30.9 million, barely above marketing costs. A real apocalypse

By ki0nk

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