2. Borderlands
Director: Eli Roth | Budget: between 115 and 155 million USD (figures vary widely) | Revenue: almost 33 million USD (via Box Office Mojo)
Borderlands was supposed to be the next big game adaptation after all, it is a large and popular brand. With actors like Cate Blanchett, they had everything needed for a hit. But unfortunately, Borderlands turned out to be a massive flop.
Borderlands went through a true production hell where the film just would not finish. By the time it hit theaters in 2024, there was no hype left. Fans were already disillusioned, and the film offered little exciting for other viewers.
Possible reasons for the flop:
- Production hell created a bad reputation
- Fans of the series did not like the look
- Reviews were quite poor (The film currently has a critic score of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes)
- Even the 12-rating scared away many fans of the R-rated game
Even in our review of the film, there were hardly any positive aspects: I expected nothing and was still disappointed – The film for Borderlands is even unnecessary for fans
3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1
Director: Kevin Costner | Budget: “only” 50 million USD (but it is supposed to be a whole 4-part series)| Revenue: almost 40 million USD (via Box Office Mojo)
Yellowstone was a renaissance of the western genre as a series. After the great success, Kevin Costner wanted to make a new western film series in a short time. For Horizon: An American Saga, he even invested his own money into production.
Costner was even so confident that he shot parts 1 and 2 almost simultaneously and both films were supposed to be released in the same summer. However, the early tracking was not very promising, and the first part barely managed to break the 50-million-dollar mark.
Possible reasons for the flop:
- The lengthy nature of the genre works better as a series these days
- Kevin Costner is no longer a huge name
- Reviews were mediocre (On Rotten Tomatoes, the critic score is 51%)
- Strong competition in the same month with Deadpool and Wolverine and A Quiet Place: Day One
More about the movie can be read here: A western for 50 million dollars is a big disappointment – And 3 more films are yet to follow
