Borderlands Flops With Abysmal Opening Weekend Box Office

Borderlands made its debut in theaters this weekend, and it’s safe to say the movie is struggling right out of the gate. According to reporting from Variety, the movie came in fourth place at the domestic box office, bringing in just $8.8 million. Deadpool and Wolverine continued to dominate the top spot, with It Ends With Us in second place, and Twisters in third. Numbers for Borderlands were actually worse outside North America, with the movie making $7.7 million overseas. In total, the movie brought in about $16.5 million; sources for Lionsgate apparently told Variety that the box office take is “far behind already low pre-release expectations.” 

Sometimes movies that have a weak start will get a boost following positive word of mouth, but it seems unlikely this will be the case for Borderlands. Reviews for the video game adaptation were about as bad as humanly possible, with the movie debuting at a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As more reviews have come in, that rating among reviews increased to just 9%. The audience score is slightly better, at 50%. With a budget of $115 million, and $30 million spent by Lionsgate on marketing and distribution, things are looking pretty bleak. Any of the shared hopes of a potential prequel or sequel are looking a bit unlikely at the moment! 

There had been signs for years that Borderlands might be in trouble. The movie finished filming all the way back in 2021, with the cast returning in 2023 to film reshoots. Those reshoots did not involve director Eli Roth, with Deadpool director Tim Miller stepping in. The gap between filming and release had fans of the video games concerned long before critics had a chance to see it, and it seems those fears were justified. 

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. 

Did you see Borderlands this weekend? Do you think the film is as bad as reviews suggest? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!