‘Borderlands’ Disappoints at Box Office With $8.8 Million Debut – After Critics Called the Film a ‘Calamity’

Borderlands brought action and an A-list cast to theaters, but the film generated little interest.

The action-adventure debuted in fourth place this weekend at the box office, after ringing up a projected $8.8 million from 3,125 theaters, box office tracking company Comscore reported Sunday.

The Lionsgate release made an average of just $2,816 per location — a big disappointment considering the film cost a reported $110–$120 million to produce, plus millions more in marketing costs.

Based on the video game franchise by the same name, Borderlands follows a ragtag team of misfits on a mission to save a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.

The film stars Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis, along with Kevin Hart, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jack Black.

Related: Kevin Hart Surprises ‘Borderlands’ Fans at San Diego Comic-Con

Directed and co-written by horror film guru Eli Roth, Borderlands received a scary “D+” CinemaScore from audiences.

Critics were equally disappointed by what they saw and gave the film a 10 percent score out of 100 on RottenTomatoes.

Among the criticism, Slant magazine’s Justin Clark described the movie as “misguided” and filled with “mind-boggling choices.”

Roger Moore of Roger’s Movie Nation called the film a “calamity of a sci-fi cartoon.”

The AV Club’s Jarrod Jones added that the finished film is “a deeply compromised final cut that Lionsgate has chucked into theaters like a live grenade.”

Fortunately, the news was much better this weekend for newcomer It Ends With Us. The romantic drama debuted in second place after bringing in an estimated $50 million.

The film is directed by and stars Jane the Virgin alum Justin Baldoni, alongside lead actress and producer Blake Lively.

Produced on a reported $25 million budget, the Sony release earned $24.2 million on Friday, $13.7 million on Saturday, and a projected $12 million on Sunday from 3,611 locations, Comscore reported.

Adapted from the hit Colleen Hoover novel by the same name, the film tells the story of a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life with a neurosurgeon. But after witnessing domestic abuse in her parents’ marriage, she finds herself in a toxic relationship.

Despite mediocre reviews from critics and reports of tension on the set between Lively and Baldoni, audiences gave the film an impressive “A-” CinemaScore.

TikTok and female moviegoers “fueled initial ticket sales,” Variety reported.

Elsewhere this weekend, Deadpool & Wolverine continued to post big numbers, bringing in $54.1 million in its third weekend, for another first place finish. To date, the film has earned $494.3 million domestically.

As mentioned, It Ends With Us opened in second place. Twisters was third with $15 million Friday through Sunday in its fourth weekend in theaters.

Borderlands was fourth,  and Despicable Me 4 rounded out the top five with $8 million in its sixth weekend.