Borderlands (2024)

[Kelt]

Rubbish cast, rubbish acting, rubbish story, rubbish takings.

Who wudda thunk it?

 

[Stu999]

Rubbish cast, rubbish acting, rubbish story, rubbish takings.

Who wudda thunk it?

$8.8m opening weekend in the US. ($16.5m globally.)

 

[Shamikebab]

Saw even Uwe Boll was sticking the knife in on this, that has got to be the ultimate bad sign

We have been a bit spoiled on video game adaptations recently, we were due a dire one to remind us of old times.

 

[ianh]

$8.8m opening weekend in the US. ($16.5m globally.)

After 1 whole week its still under $20m globally, which will jump a little once more international partners report their takings but not by much I would guess!

Borderlands (2024) - Financial Information

Financial analysis of Borderlands (2024) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.

www.the-numbers.com

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

Haha, it’s still not even managed to make just the marketing budget back.

I just don’t understand modern Hollywood. So many movie flops.
At this stage, they’d be better off just paying me a small amount each time so I could tell them NOT to bother. They’d save so much.

 

[Mr Badger]

Haha, it’s still not even managed to make just the marketing budget back.

I just don’t understand modern Hollywood. So many movie flops.
At this stage, they’d be better off just paying me a small amount each time so I could tell them NOT to bother. They’d save so much.

The thing I have never been able to get my head around with these big budget bad movies is how they can spend so much money paying big name actors, shooting on location, costume design, stunts, computer FX, marketing etc. and yet it's the plot and script that lets it all down. How do they decide to go ahead and spend £100 Million (or whatever) on making the movie if the story and the characters just don't deliver?

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

I always think there has to be some people that always profit regardless. The big Hollywood scam. I just can't see any other way that this could happen so frequently, when this amount of money is in a project.

 

[mingeroonie]

So, would a non borderlands player like it?

 

[Rob_B]

I think most comments are it's not a great movie, made worse if you know the games.

 

[Steeps]

Pretty much. I went to see it last night knowing nothing about the games and it felt like it was written, directed and acted by 12 year olds. If the characters are that annoying and flat in the game then I'm glad I've not played it. Not the worst film in the world but I can see why it's not doing well.

 

[ianh]

I always think there has to be some people that always profit regardless. The big Hollywood scam. I just can't see any other way that this could happen so frequently, when this amount of money is in a project.

I honestly can't remember where I read this so definitely take it with a pinch of salt, but the news story I'd read about "where does the money go" made reference to the studios taking a large chunk of the money "back" from the budget to feed back into the company whilst still being able to claim (for tax reasons) they'd spent $xxx on the project and therefore "lost" money, making it a huge tax write-off - i.e. Film has a $250m budget, company then takes $100m "back" so the film only actually costs $150m but they can claim they've spent $250m for tax purposes and pay less tax on any profit (which it won't have made so minimal tax due).

From what I remember the accounting story was all very "smoke and mirrors" and all of it was solely to do with paying less tax in the end.

 

[Mr Badger]

I honestly can't remember where I read this so definitely take it with a pinch of salt, but the news story I'd read about "where does the money go" made reference to the studios taking a large chunk of the money "back" from the budget to feed back into the company whilst still being able to claim (for tax reasons) they'd spent $xxx on the project and therefore "lost" money, making it a huge tax write-off - i.e. Film has a $250m budget, company then takes $100m "back" so the film only actually costs $150m but they can claim they've spent $250m for tax purposes and pay less tax on any profit (which it won't have made so minimal tax due).

From what I remember the accounting story was all very "smoke and mirrors" and all of it was solely to do with paying less tax in the end.

Are you thinking of The Producers?

 

[hyperseven]

Coming to streaming on the 30th

 

[413x]

Coming to streaming on the 30th

Just seen this. Or you can purchase for 20 usd... No takers?

Doubt I'll even watch on streaming.

 

[rp2000]

I've only played 1 borderlands game, possibly the second. It was ok. But I just remember grinding to get better weapons, not much storywise!

To me it's like dungeons and dragons, halo TV show, world of warcraft film etc. if I didn't play it or enjoy the games, I won't pay to watch a film based on it. Plus videogames to films/tv usually end up rubbish, although I have no stats to back that up!


rp2000

 

[ianh]

Coming to streaming on the 30th

As unlikely as this was to ever break $100m, based on its initial reviews, I'd not expect Lionsgate (who distribute the film) to pull the film from the cinema after only 3 weeks as they know it'd NEVER reach $100m by that point, so I'd expect them to keep it in the cinema for a while after streaming release, probably until the end of Sept (7-8 weeks run) in an attempt to hit that elusive $100m and beat Madame Web just for the "positive" PR of not being the No1 flop of 2024.

The international markets haven't updated since the 14th so there's probably a few more million all combined to be added but the Global Box Office for this is just $25m (possibly upto $30m) with it making just $752 per cinema over 3 days in the US, which based on a average ticket price of $10 is just 75 people per 3-day weekend per cinema are watching this during its 2nd weekend vs something like Trap which on its 3rd Fri-Sat weekend still made almost double per cinema ($1410) than Borderlands did over the same 3 days.

 

[Mr Badger]

I've only played 1 borderlands game, possibly the second. It was ok. But I just remember grinding to get better weapons, not much storywise!

To me it's like dungeons and dragons, halo TV show, world of warcraft film etc. if I didn't play it or enjoy the games, I won't pay to watch a film based on it. Plus videogames to films/tv usually end up rubbish, although I have no stats to back that up!


rp2000

The low effort thing to do is essentially film a live action version of playing the game. But there seems little point in a plot that is essentially a series of action sequences linked by dialogue that only exists to explain why everyone is heading to the next challenge. Just play the game!

Ideally a movie would flesh out the characters within the game world, so as with any good drama they seem like real people with real motivations. And use those characters in a proper story that goes somewhere and includes some character development to get the audience invested.

The Borderlands universe has plenty of material from which some decent movies could be made. The Borderlands 3 plot wasn't up to much, but the other 3 games were good enough as a basis to create a decent story and script. Although I would probably film them in chronological (rather than game) order so you would get the rise and fall of Handsome Jack story.

 

[413x]

Have to agree with those who say I don't think borderlands has too much of a story line.

Great characters, like handsome Jack.. But not much of a story line.

 

[Mr Badger]

Have to agree with those who say I don't think borderlands has too much of a story line.

Great characters, like handsome Jack.. But not much of a story line.

That's why you would involve good writers who understand the source material, to come up with something that works as a movie. There is plenty of background to work with. For example the story for the first game:

Spoiler

Borderlands is set in the distant future at a time when various mega-corporations seek control of planets to colonize and mine for their mineral wealth and resources. Prior to the events of the game, the Atlas Corporation, one of the major mega-corporations, uncovered an ancient alien Vault filled with advanced weapons technology, allowing them to rapidly overtake their competitors. Finding similar ruins of the same alien architecture on the planet Pandora, Atlas sought to settle the planet in hopes of finding more alien technology, but were forced to abandon their plans due to a failure to find any alien technology on the surface, and being unprepared for the dangerous wildlife coming out during their stay. After their departure, the Dahl Corporation, another mega-corporation, colonized the planet to secure its vast deposits of minerals, using large amounts of convict labor for the mining operations, while initiating their own search for a Vault.

Their research team's efforts to find the Vault were headed up by Patricia Tannis, a respected xenoarchaeologist. Despite losing all of her colleagues to the planet's wildlife and being driven partially insane herself, Tannis found proof that a Vault does exist on Pandora. Her news was intercepted by Atlas, who sent its private military force, the Crimson Lance, to kidnap Tannis and get the Vault's location from her. Faced with their invasion, Dahl abandoned the planet, taking only the wealthy colonists with them, and leaving the remaining population to scavenge for a living amongst the barren wastelands and industrial trash heaps across the planet. To make matters worse, the convict labor was allowed to go free, leading them to form gangs of bandits that terrorize the local populace. Despite the circumstances, the Vault and its rewards transformed into a legend that attracts mercenary "Vault Hunters" to the planet.

Borderlands begins some time after the Dahl Corporation's abandonment of the planet Pandora. Four Vault Hunters (Brick, Lilith, Mordecai, and Roland) arrive in search of the fabled Vault. After discovering the town of Fyrestone, the Vault Hunters begin to receive psychic instructions from a mysterious woman known as the "Guardian Angel". The Vault Hunters meet a CL4P-TP or "Claptrap" robot and a doctor named Zed who help them establish a reputation by killing several bandit leaders, eventually leading to the collection of an alien artifact, being the first piece of a key needed to open the Vault. This causes Patricia Tannis, Dahl's former archaeologist still in residence on the planet, to contact the Vault Hunters, revealing that the Vault can only be accessed once every 200 years and that the time of the next opening is approaching. Tannis also explains that three more artifacts are needed to complete the Vault Key. Meanwhile, Commandant Steele of the Crimson Lance (a well-outfitted military force led by the Atlas Corporation) threatens to declare martial law and demands the Vault Key pieces.

The Vault Hunters secure the second and third pieces by following Tannis' instructions, but the final piece, supposedly in the possession of a bandit lord named Baron Flynt, turns out not to be where it was expected. Steele contacts the Vault Hunters to reveal that there are in fact only three pieces and that Tannis has betrayed and misled them. Steele then disables the planet's ECHO network, preventing further communication with the Guardian Angel and anyone else. The Vault Hunters infiltrate the Crimson Lance's headquarters and find Tannis imprisoned. She claims she was forced into betrayal and urges the Vault Hunters to restart the ECHO network and stop Steele and the Crimson Lance before they reach the Vault. After restoring the network, the Guardian Angel directs the Vault Hunters toward Steele's location. During the final approach to the Vault, the Vault Hunters encounter Crimson Lance forces already locked in combat with the Vault's alien Guardians.

The Vault Hunters finally arrive at the Vault only moments too late to stop Steele from using the Key. When the Vault opens, a giant monster emerges and wipes out Steele and the rest of her troops. The Guardian Angel explains that the monster is called the "Destroyer" and was imprisoned in the Vault long ago by the Eridians, the alien race who left behind the ruins and created the Vault, in order to prevent the destruction of the universe, and that the Guardians were posted to prevent anyone from opening it. Although the Vault Hunters kill the Destroyer, the Vault is re-sealed for another 200 years. The Guardian Angel is revealed to be transmitting her signals through a Hyperion satellite in orbit high above Pandora. The game ends with the satellite sending a signal to a Claptrap robot on the planet, changing it into an "Interplanetary Ninja Assassin" (continued in the plot of the DLC Claptrap's New Robot Revolution).

Showing the backstory of Tannis and focusing on (say) some character arc for Lilith and Roland (considering he started out working for Atlas and what ultimately happens to him) could work. I can't imagine why the movie makers decided to include even more characters from the second game, when it appears that they failed to do much with the ones they already had available.

 

[Sankari]

Cinema sales have failed, so it's off to the streaming platforms already!

'Borderlands to release on streaming services less than a month after its catastrophic cinematic debut.'

Borderlands will arrive on unspecified home streaming services on August 30, per the Hollywood Handle, 21 days after its August 9 premiere. Note that this doesn't mean it'll be free on Netflix, but is more likely to be available for rent or purchase on the likes of Prime Video (the distributor is Lionsgate, which has films available across various platforms).

The move indicates that Borderlands' various backers have given up on any significant returns from its cinema run, remarkably quickly, and are now looking to squeeze as much as they can out of it, Morbius-style, while people still might be interested in hate-watching the thing.

The likelihood is that this is going to go down as a massive flop regardless, with a potential loss north of $100 million, and it's certainly going to have people looking at the viability of Borderlands as a wider franchise outside of the fourth mainline game in the series.

The Borderlands movie continues to circle the drain in a way that, as I mentioned yesterday, is so dramatic that it just makes me kinda sad—its US box office debut coughed up a 'not good enough for the balance sheets' number of $8.8 million which, according to Variety, is a whole lot of scratch shy of the $115 million it took to make and the $30 million it cost to market and distribute.

As per GamesIndustry.biz, the global box office numbers are out and, oof, they aren't looking that much better. The grand gross (as in gross income, I'm not just being extra mean) of the Borderlands movie? $16.5 million.

(Source).