Borderlands Flops With Abysmal Opening Weekend Box Office

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As a gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must admit, I’ve seen some highs and lows in the gaming-to-film adaptations landscape. The release of “Borderlands” has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, much like the game itself, but unfortunately, it seems we’re plummeting downhill faster than my character on the battlefield.

Over the weekend, Borderlands hit the big screen, but it seems to be having a tough start. As per reports from Variety, the film ended up in fourth position at the domestic box office, earning a modest $8.8 million. Meanwhile, Deadpool and Wolverine maintained their lead, followed closely by It Ends With Us in second place and Twisters in third. Unfortunately for Borderlands, its performance was even weaker overseas, with only $7.7 million earned outside North America. In summary, the movie grossed approximately $16.5 million; industry insiders at Lionsgate informed Variety that these figures are significantly lower than already diminished expectations set before release.

Occasionally, films with a shaky opening can benefit from positive word-of-mouth recommendations, but it appears that this may not be the case for Borderlands. The film adaptation’s reviews have been as poor as they could possibly get, earning a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes initially. As more reviews rolled in, the rating among critics improved slightly to only 9%. The audience score is somewhat better, at 50%. Given its budget of $115 million and Lionsgate’s expenditure of $30 million on marketing and distribution, prospects are not promising. For now, any dreams of a potential prequel or sequel seem remote!

For quite some time, there were indications that the movie “Borderlands” might face difficulties. Filming was completed as far back as 2021, with the cast returning in 2023 for additional filming. Notably, director Eli Roth was not involved in these reshoots, instead being replaced by Tim Miller, who directed “Deadpool.” The extended period between filming and release raised concerns among fans of the video games, and it appears their apprehensions were well-founded.

Despite all the negativity surrounding the film, some are still hoping Borderlands finds its audience. Speaking with IGN, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick shared his hope that fans “give the film a chance.” Take-Two acquired Borderlands video game developer Gearbox Interactive earlier this year, and subsequently confirmed a new game in the series is in development. While things at the box office are pretty bad right now, maybe Borderlands fans will get something better to enjoy when Borderlands 4 comes out.

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2024-08-11 23:40