Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick wasn’t too fazed by the Borderlands film’s lack of critical success, even claiming that the film “helped” the franchise overall.
There’s no two ways about it: the Borderlands movie has gone down in history as one of the least successful video game adaptations of all time. Panned as the “worst film (of 2024)”, the film only generated $31 million during its time in theaters worldwide.
Nearly $100 million lost when production and marketing budgets are factored in, it has become one of the worst flops in recent memory. An A-list cast of Hollywood stars like Jack Black and Kevin Hart wasn’t enough to help fans overlook the film discrepancies with the source material.
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Despite being universally panned and the production companies involved losing a nine-figure sum, the publisher of the Borderlands games doesn’t seem too concerned. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has even claimed that the film’s performance actually helped the gaming series.
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Lion’s Gate
The Borderlands film had a short-lived theatrical run due to limited ticket sales.
Ahead of Take Two’s earnings call on November 6, Zelnick spoke to IGN about the production of the Borderlands film. While he admitted it was a “disappointing” undertaking overall, he explained how the short theater performance impacted the games in a meaningful way.
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“It actually sold more catalog,” Zelnick said. “So I don’t think it hurt at all, but I think it might have helped a little bit.”
Promoting video game sales in the first place is often a key factor behind big screen or silver screen adaptations. Whether it’s Sony’s Emmy-winning The Last of Us series on HBO of Ninentdo is hugely successful Super Mario Bros. moviethey all help push consumers towards the source material, and Borderlands was no different, despite the criticism against it.
Related:
Borderlands fans salute Cate Blanchett – but one star ‘ruins’ the movie
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While it may not have been a critical darling or generated tens of millions at the box office, the Borderlands movie would still have achieved its goal of generating new fans for the series in general.
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All this comes in the lead up to Border countries 4the first main entry in the FPS series since 2019. The new sequel is expected to release sometime between late 2025 and early 2026.