Summary
- A critical and financial disaster, the
Borderlands
movie has failed to generate box office returns domestically. - Despite boasting an impressive cast like Cate Blanchett, the film faced universal derision and did not meet expectations.
- The failure of the movie signals potential repercussions for the console-to-screen adaptation pipeline and may lead to budget cuts in the future.
As someone who has spent a significant part of my life immersed in the world of films and gaming, I must say that the Borderlands debacle is a cautionary tale for studios diving headfirst into ambitious projects without fully understanding their audience or the medium they’re adapting from.
Critics and audiences alike have harshly criticized the movie adaptation of Borderlands, labeling it as a watered-down version of Guardians of the Galaxy and a flop in flames. As I write this, the domestic box office earnings for Borderlands stand at less than $10 million in the U.S., suggesting that its fate is now unfolding before our eyes, just as many predicted. In today’s world, it’s unusual for critics and viewers to agree so strongly, which bodes poorly for any hope of a franchise for Eli Roth, Gearbox Software, and Lionsgate. Each generation gets only one chance at this; sadly for Borderlands, that opportunity has been squandered.
Embarking on a cosmic journey, I join an eccentric group of misfits, led by the elusive character named Lilith, in search of a legendary vault brimming with priceless riches beyond comprehension. Our path is fraught with challenges as we confront ruthless corporate entities and dangerous outlaw gangs known as the Psychos. The intrigue surrounding this film’s creation is palpable.
With stars like Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, the project had enough promise initially, but unfortunately, it seems to have faltered where other productions might have thrived. Despite having big names on board, one can’t help but question if they were the right choices for this film given the widespread criticism it’s received since its premiere. We admire Cate Blanchett immensely, yet one wonders if she was the best fit to promote a summer blockbuster. The notoriously poor reception of Borderlands may tarnish an otherwise impressive trend of successful video game adaptations making their way onto TV and cinema screens. In summary, the film’s performance has left a rather unfavorable impression.
Read Our Review
Borderlands Makes History … Not in a Good Way
Based on Variety’s report, foreign presales accounted for around 60% of the estimated total budget of $145 million, considering the movie’s $30 million marketing costs. To put this into perspective, a contemporary blockbuster typically spends over $100 million on advertising. However, Lionsgate’s reduced ad spending doesn’t fully account for the lack of audience in cinemas during mid-August.
The catastrophic failure of Borderlands, dubbed as the “Disaster of the Year,” is challenging to accurately express in words. However, beyond the public spectacle, it’s essential to consider the financial implications for the studio bearing the brunt of the costs. Lionsgate Studios was already grappling with instability. A week before, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate’s movie division head Adam Fogelson expressed optimism about Lionsgate’s future and their upcoming films due to cost-cutting measures aimed at reducing production expenses.
“We’re extremely optimistic about the potential of our theatrical business, mainly due to our unique advantage of having minimal operational expenses compared to competitors. This allows us to control both production and marketing costs in an unconventional manner.”
He spoke a little too soon. In case you’re curious, we don’t include executive quotes like these so much for context as much as we do for comedy. It should be noted that in the interview, he avoided mention of Lionsgate’s biggest tentpole summer blockbuster. Maybe he knew all too well that Roth’s script had zero percentage of winning converts, which was the consensus opinion before the premiere. We can all clutch our pearls about review-bombing, however, there comes a time when we have to admit that a movie’s simply bad.
As a longtime movie enthusiast and industry observer, I’ve seen my fair share of high-budget flops that left audiences scratching their heads. The latest example is this video game adaptation, which boasts a star-studded cast and a hefty price tag. However, the market for such films seems to be shrinking, as evidenced by its dismal performance over the weekend.
Borderlands Fails to Meet (Very) Low Expectations
Despite numerous setbacks and changes in direction, this movie managed to see the light of day. Despite countless delays and obstacles, it miraculously made it to theaters after enduring a tumultuous production process marked by a change in directors. It consumed significant resources. Whether Lionsgate was overly optimistic about Roth’s vision or stuck with their investment due to the sunk-cost fallacy remains to be seen. The film may not have ignited much excitement, but behind-the-scenes revelations and leaks from the cast promise to make for an intriguing story.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen numerous universes that were meticulously crafted self-destructing, along with many sequels being scrapped. The release of Borderlands is not unexpected. It’s impressive that this movie made it to the big screen in August, given the constraints it faced in terms of time for reshooting alternate endings or recasting key roles. Cate Blanchett enthusiastically took on the role, and her willingness to immerse herself fully in a seemingly absurd character like Lilith is commendable, much like Max von Sydow’s performance as Ming the Merciless in its campy iteration. Critics were taken aback by Blanchett being cast as the lead for Lilith, considering she is more than twice the age of the character and saddled with immature jokes from the comic-relief robot designed to appeal to a younger audience.
In a surprising turn of events, the studio chose to ignore the unfavorable criticism and pressed forward undeterred. They strategically planned its release around the latest Deadpool installment, hoping for a share of the audience. Remarkably, even the melancholic romance film It Ends with Us outperformed it despite minimal star power, mediocre reviews, and a low-key marketing effort. However, the lackluster competition wasn’t to blame for Borderlands’ downfall.
Despite criticism that the early footage looked sloppy and the humor was stale, Lionsgate refused to accept that the oft-delayed film was undercooked. If they believed it was a winner, they refused to pour money into ads to back up that confidence. As a warning sign, the hype trailer was overwhelmingly reviled when it debuted five months ago on YouTube. The “Final Trailer” only cemented the perception, earning a 3:1 downvote ratio, signaling no one was excited, and there was little positive buzz.
Is the Console-to-Screen Pipeline Permanently Damaged by Borderlands?
Essentially, we’ve consistently pointed out that the game series Borderlands didn’t create a significant cultural wave beyond the gaming community. In broader society, it didn’t resonate deeply or shape the cultural climate. Achieving blockbuster status like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) requires time and substantial effort, which is often underestimated. It took Marvel several years of hard work and strategic moves, such as the release of Blade, to establish a cinematic universe and win over moviegoers in the ’90s. The path they paved wasn’t an overnight success.
The Wesley Snipes film was a reckless gamble that paid off, but that’s not a viable long-term strategy. Lionsgate had ventured into licensed properties before, with 2017’s Power Rangers coming to mind, adapting the popular kid’s show from the ’90s and aughts. Power Rangers made $140 million worldwide. You can chalk that up to a robust pre-Covid market or proper leverage of adult nostalgia, but in either case, no one can deny Lionsgate miscalculated on their latest endeavor.
As someone who has worked in the movie industry for over a decade, I’ve seen my fair share of big-screen adaptations that didn’t quite hit the mark. The latest trend I’ve noticed is studios starting to trim their budgets for these ambitious projects, and it’s not hard to see why. We can draw a parallel with the infamous “too big, too fast” approach that led to some high-profile flops, like 2020’s Monster Hunter. Despite breaking $40 million during the Covid outbreak, it wasn’t nearly enough to turn a profit.
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2024-08-15 04:02