Eli Roth's Borderlands movie had a devastating box office debut amid negative reviews and fan reaction, but Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has found the silver lining.
The film pulled in just $8.8 million in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend plus $7.7 million overseas for a global total of $16.5 million. As a point of comparison, the incredibly successful Deadpool & Wolverine pulled in $96 million on its opening day in the U.S. alone. Sources tell IGN that a significant portion of Borderlands' $115 million budget and $30 million marketing and distribution costs are already covered by international pre-sales.
Pitchford worked as an executive producer on the film adaptation of Borderlands and isn't letting the underwhelming critical and commercial response get him down. In fact, he took to X/Twitter over the weekend — the same weekend the movie opened in theaters — to highlight the positive takeaway from all the backlash
So what you're saying is: You like what my friends and I do with our Borderlands video games even more than you like what some of the biggest and best cast and crew of film makers on the planet have done. I'm super flattered! We're working extra hard four you on what's next....
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) August 10, 2024
"So what you're saying is: You like what my friends and I do with our Borderlands video games even more than you like what some of the biggest and best cast and crew of film makers on the planet have done," he wrote. "I'm super flattered! We're working extra hard four you on what's next
It isn't the first time that Pitchford has dropped a hint about a fourth Borderlands game. He told IGN in February that the Gearbox team were working on the "greatest thing" they have ever done. Take-Two Interactive later acquired Gearbox for $460 million and confirmed a new Borderlands game was in development.
I left my Borderlands movie ticket in the car and someone broke in to leave 3 more ??? pic.twitter.com/aMHx7OxZWS
— Opera GX (@operagxofficial) August 9, 2024
Sorry Borderlands fans but lol pic.twitter.com/hAAVtERWqu
— D-Piddy ? (@_dpiddy) August 11, 2024
The creators of the video game right now pic.twitter.com/DGToT337BC
— LnL (@LnLConsulting) August 11, 2024
— Jameth (@JamieLeeMac) August 12, 2024
BORDERLANDS and HAROLD & THE PURPLE CRAYON competing for who will be the biggest flop of 2024 pic.twitter.com/eEpeRskoaR
— Dalton (@RedDragon733) August 11, 2024
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick previously urged people to "give the film a chance" despite the negative critical reception that emerged from early reviews, telling IGN, "A lot of people worked really hard on it. The underlying intellectual property is phenomenal, the cast is amazing, I think the look and feel is really terrific."
Borderlands has certainly had a rough start on all fronts. IGN gave the movie an "awful" 3 out of 10 score in its review, saying: "Borderlands is a catastrophic disappointment that plays like hacked-to-pieces studio slop, betraying everything fans adore about Gearbox Software’s franchise in derivative, regrettable fashion."
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
