Is “Borderlands” the biggest box office flop of 2024 compared to the other maligned releases this year?

• The big-screen adaptation of video game franchise “Borderlands” is already being called 2024’s biggest box office flop.
• The film, starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis, has had one of the worst openings at the box office this year.
• But is it as bad as people are suggesting, compared to other cinematic misses including “Madame Web” and “Argylle?”

It was touted as one of the biggest summer blockbusters of 2024, but the release of “Borderlands” has led to it already being called one of this year’s biggest box office flops.

Data obtained from Box Office Mojo has shown that the film, which opened in UK cinemas on August 8 2024, has only taken a worldwide total of $12 million (£9.3 million) against an estimated production budget of $120 million. 

That would so far account for a loss of $108 million so far - which seems unfair owing to the film having just been released. But analysts were hoping that the film, directed by Eli Roth and based on the beloved video game franchise, would fetch around $24 million on its opening weekend, falling well short of that figure.

Reviews have not been kind to the film either, which no doubt will not help casual moviegoers from taking a chance to go and see the film; it feels like years ago when people were clamouring to head to the theatre again thanks to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon.

So what have those reviewers been saying about the film, and is it this year’s biggest box office flop to date? 

What have reviews been for “Borderlands” since its release?

Dismal. To be blunt.

Movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes currently shows the film holding a 9% “Rotten” rating based on 123 reviews. 

Wendy Ide of The Observer lamented that “video game movie adaptations have spewed out some serious clunkers over the years. But even by the lamentable standards of the genre, Eli Roth’s reshoot-plagued Borderlands is abysmal.”

James Berardinelli of ReelViews went as far as to call the film “(...) a legitimate contender not only for worst film of 2024 but one of the worst videogame movies ever released,” with Dustin Chase of Texas Art and Film called the movie “(...) Blandlands in the hands of Eli Roth and a stain on Cate Blanchett’s filmography.”

But as ever with Rotten Tomatoes, the critic census sometimes overlooks the audience score - but not in this case, with the film currently sitting on an audience rating of 52%, certifying it “Rotten” with viewers also. 

Is “Borderlands” the biggest box office flop of 2024 so far?

Not yet - that “honour” still belongs to Henry Cavill and his film “Argylle” released towards the start of 2024. Box Office Mojo and The Numbers have both confirmed that from a budget of $200 million, it has so far taken a worldwide gross of only $96.2 million.

The dogged “Madame Web” would have taken the position, but has since earned a fair amount of money back from streaming services, taking $100.2 million from a budget of an estimated $100 million. But that doesn’t account for marketing and promotion - so it is still considered a financial flop.

The Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum film “Fly Me To The Moon” might have felt muted upon its release, which might explain why against a budget of $100 million it has so far only taken $40.5 million worldwide. Cavill also features once again in the list, with Guy Ritchie’s latest effort, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” taking only $27.4 million worldwide off a budget of $60 million before making its way to Prime Video.

What’s been the biggest box office success of 2024 so far?

Despite the success of “Deadpool and Wolverine” and it effectively saving the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s still not quite the highest-grossing film at the box office in 2024. 

That honour goes to Disney’s “Inside Out 2”, which has taken (according to Box Office Mojo) $1.5 billion since its release, with the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman film following close behind with a worldwide box office so far of $1.03 billion.

The top 10 most successful films of 2024 at the box office.

1. Inside Out 2 - $1,595,116,307
2. Deadpool & Wolverine - $1,036,025,800
3. Despicable Me 4 - $808,896,690
4. Dune: Part Two - $711,844,358
5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - $567,650,016
6. Kung Fu Panda 4 - $545,846,093
7. Bad Boys: Ride or Die - $400,106,140
8. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - $397,357,378
9. Twisters - $311,863,190
10. A Quiet Place: Day One - $260,826,155

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