Borderlands Movie’s Box Office Failure Addressed by Lionsgate CEO

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As a seasoned cinema-goer with over three decades of attending movies under my belt, I must say that the Borderlands debacle is a tale as old as time – a promising concept marred by poor execution.

Initially, Borderlands, a highly anticipated video game adaptation, turned out to be one of the year’s biggest box office disappointments instead. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has shared some reasons for this dismal performance. With Eli Roth at the helm and a production budget of $120 million, the action-comedy fell short, earning only $33 million in theaters. Critics were largely unimpressed upon release, finding no saving graces to classify it as “so bad it’s good.

During Lionsgate’s earnings call on Thursday (as reported by IGN), Feltheimer acknowledged the studio’s substantial losses of approximately $163.3 million. When asked about the underperformance of Borderlands at the box office, the CEO attributed its disappointing performance to a variety of factors, including the pandemic and interest rates, stating that “every unfortunate event imaginable occurred.

In the game Borderlands, a series of unfortunate events occurred – almost every potential issue arose. During the pandemic, it was left untouched on the shelf for an extended period. Additionally, reshoots and escalating interest rates pushed it beyond the protective bounds of our typically conservative financial plans.

Lionsgate’s quarterly earnings totaled $948.6 million, a decrease from the $101.1 billion earned in the same period last year. This drop was described as “disappointing” by CEO Jon Feltheimer, indicating that the current business climate offers less room for error than ever before. While he didn’t explicitly mention The Crow (a film that only recovered half its $50 million budget), he did acknowledge that there were multiple releases that fell short of both their quality standards and projected performance.

The Harsh Reality Is That Borderlands Just Wasn’t a Good Movie

Despite being labeled as one of the poorest video game adaptations by some (its Rotten Tomatoes rating is lower than 2005’s “Doom”), it’s simple to attribute Borderlands‘ lack of success to various external factors. Nevertheless, when you get down to the essentials, the movie itself was just not well-made. With a stellar cast featuring stars like Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis, all the elements for a blockbuster were present; however, Roth’s direction failed to impress.

The potential for an entertaining spin-off of the shooter-looter game was marred by its PG-13 rating, predictable action sequences, and immature humor. It appeared to lack originality, moving from one scene to another without much excitement or innovation, catering to the gaming community but failing to deliver anything fresh. Additionally, the film struggled with pacing issues; it started off briskly but lost momentum after the initial hour, as MovieWeb’s Julian Roman pointed out in his review: “…the movie never quite finds its footing.

The attempt at mystery falters as everything was smoothly moving at a brisk pace. There seems to be too much contemplation, which results in excess, unimportant content. Roth could have simply continued with visual appeal and action right up until the end of the movie.

I’m gladly looking forward to brighter days ahead for Feltheimer and Lionsgate, as the year 2025 promises some exciting releases that should keep both investors and cinema enthusiasts content. Among these anticipated hits are the John Wick spin-off titled Ballerina, Saw XI, and Now You See Me 3. The following year, 2026, will bring us back to the world of Panem with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

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2024-11-08 17:31