Lionsgate’s “Borderlands” movie from “The Hunger Games” studio based on the hit video game series hasn’t been as successful in theaters as some thought it would be. About a month after the film premiered in theaters on August 9, the “Borderlands” movie has grossed more than $31 million at the global box office. Not only did the movie not make much money, it also had a poor reputation. This may be the film’s final box office performance, as many theaters are no longer showing the film, although your market may vary.
The $31 million worldwide box office haul included $15.4 million from North America and $15.9 million from international markets, according to BoxOfficeMojo. Things didn’t look good at first, with Borderlands only making $8.6 million in its opening weekend in North America. The Borderlands movie had a pretty bad second weekend as well, and the rest is history.
According to reports, Borderlands has a production budget of $115 million, with advertising and distribution costs of approximately $30 million. A potential positive for the Borderlands movie is that it was reported that approximately 60% of the Borderlands film’s production costs, or about $69 million, were passed on to international exhibitors after its opening weekend. Withdrawal due to pre-sale.
Borderlands was released on home video on August 30, and certainly made some money. Lionsgate could also make money by selling movies to airlines and other distribution partners, although the Borderlands movie doesn’t appear to have a streaming platform yet.
Lionsgate is financing the film, so developer Gearbox likely won’t take a financial hit regardless of its eventual box office performance. Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford said: “The money surrounding a movie is a studio risk, so I’m not really affected by it, and unless the studio loses money, it may not want to make another movie. (This would be a shame).
Even though Borderlands is an established, popular IP with a loyal fan base and a cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, Ariana… Featuring high-profile, critically acclaimed actors like Greenblatt, Kevin Hart, and Edgar Ramirez, it still underperformed. Blanchett said she made the film in part because she wanted to get out of the house after the coronavirus pandemic was over.
Strauss Zelnick, the head of Gearbox owner Take-Two and a former film executive, urged people to give the movie a chance despite its poor reviews. For more, check out GameSpot’s Borderlands movie review.
As for the “Borderlands” game series, “Borderlands 4” was announced in August and is expected to be released in 2025.
