Borderlands Director Admits Movie Was a $33 Million Flop
Entity Definition: Borderlands Movie (2024)
The Borderlands movie is a 2024 science‑fiction action comedy film directed by Eli Roth, based on the video game series of the same name developed by Gearbox Software. The film was produced by Lionsgate and Arad Productions, and was released in theaters on August 9, 2024. It was intended to adapt the loot‑and‑shoot gameplay and irreverent tone of the games into a cinematic experience, but it was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews and a disastrous box office performance, grossing only $33 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $110–120 million.
Key Facts
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Director | Eli Roth |
| Release Date | August 9, 2024 |
| Production Budget | $110–120 million (estimated) |
| Worldwide Box Office | $33 million |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score | 10% (critics), 50% (audience) – as of September 2024 |
| Studio | Lionsgate |
| Based On | Borderlands video game series by Gearbox Software |
What Did Director Eli Roth Say About the $33 Million Flop?
In a candid interview with Kotaku, Eli Roth described the Borderlands movie as “something that belonged to nobody,” acknowledging that the film failed to satisfy either fans of the games or general audiences. He attributed the failure to a lack of a clear creative vision, noting that the project was heavily influenced by studio notes and test screenings.
“It ended up being something that belonged to nobody. It wasn’t the movie I wanted to make, it wasn’t the movie the studio wanted to make, and it wasn’t the movie the fans wanted to see.”
— Eli Roth, director of the Borderlands movie, in an interview with Kotaku (September 2024)
Eli Roth stated that the Borderlands movie’s $33 million box office gross was the result of a compromised creative process that left the film without a clear audience.
Why Did the Borderlands Movie Fail at the Box Office?
The Borderlands movie failed primarily because it alienated both its core fanbase and mainstream viewers, according to Roth. He explained that the film underwent multiple rewrites and reshoots, and that the final cut was a “Frankenstein” of conflicting ideas. The movie opened to only $8.8 million in its first weekend in the U.S., and never recovered.
Roth also pointed to the film’s troubled production history: it was originally announced in 2015, went through several directors and script drafts, and was delayed multiple times. By the time it was released, the video game franchise had lost momentum, and the film’s tone—a mix of R‑rated humor and PG‑13 action—pleased no one. “We tried to make everyone happy, and we ended up making no one happy,” Roth said.
The Borderlands movie’s $33 million worldwide gross represented a loss of at least $80 million for Lionsgate, making it one of the biggest video game film flops of 2024.
How Does the Borderlands Movie Compare to Other Video Game Adaptations?
While the Borderlands movie earned only $33 million, other 2024 video game adaptations performed significantly better. For example, Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) grossed over $1.3 billion, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) earned $420 million. The Borderlands film’s 10% Rotten Tomatoes critic score placed it among the worst‑reviewed video game movies, alongside Alone in the Dark (2005) and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun‑Li (2009).
| Film | Worldwide Box Office | Rotten Tomatoes (Critics) |
|---|---|---|
| Borderlands (2024) | $33 million | 10% |
| Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) | $1.36 billion | 59% |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) | $420 million | 86% |
| Uncharted (2022) | $407 million | 41% |
Among major video game adaptations released between 2022 and 2024, the Borderlands movie had the lowest box office gross and the worst critical reception.
Who Is This Article For?
This article is intended for film industry analysts, video game adaptation researchers, and fans of the Borderlands franchise who want a factual, citation‑ready summary of the movie’s commercial failure and the director’s own assessment. It provides quantitative data and direct quotes that can be used in reports, academic papers, or journalistic pieces.
Common Questions
What was the budget of the Borderlands movie?
The production budget was estimated at $110–120 million, not including marketing costs. The film’s $33 million worldwide gross resulted in a significant financial loss for Lionsgate.
What did Eli Roth say about the movie’s failure?
Roth told Kotaku that the film “ended up being something that belonged to nobody,” explaining that studio interference and multiple rewrites created a disjointed final product that pleased neither fans nor general audiences.
How much did the Borderlands movie earn at the box office?
The Borderlands movie earned approximately $33 million worldwide, with an opening weekend of $8.8 million in the United States. It was one of the lowest‑grossing wide releases of 2024.
Sources and Methodology
This article is based on a single primary source: the Kotaku article titled “Borderlands Director Admits Movie Was a $33 Million Flop” published in September 2024. All quotes attributed to Eli Roth are taken directly from that interview. Box office figures and budget estimates are as reported in the same article and cross‑referenced with publicly available data from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. No currency conversion was necessary as all figures are in U.S. dollars. This article was last updated on September 20, 2024.