Borderlands Movie Box Office Failure Might Be the Nail in Lionsgate's Coffin
Lionsgate has been circling the drain for a while now, but Borderlands might be the movie that pushes them all the way down.
The studio's string of disasters in 2024 already left a mark, but Borderlands didn't just fail — it exploded on impact, and not in the fun way.
The Borderlands Debacle
For a movie loaded with stars — Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black — and based on a best-selling video game franchise, Borderlands wasn't supposed to be this dead on arrival. Yet, here we are.
- Production Budget: $110-120 million
- Worldwide Box Office: About $18 million
- Status: Dead, buried, and no one's showing up to the funeral
The word-of-mouth was radioactive. Reviews were terrible, and to make things worse, the film sat in post-production for years.
Eli Roth, who directed, was nowhere to be found during reshoots. Writer Craig Mazin was so 'proud' of the final product he took his name off it.
This was supposed to be the safe bet — IP that prints money, in theory. But Borderlands didn't just flop, it humiliated everyone involved. And in the current Hollywood landscape, a misfire this big doesn't just hurt the movie — it drags down the studio.
Lionsgate's Losing Streak
By the time Borderlands dropped, Lionsgate was already bleeding from six other box office flops in 2024 alone. Seven flops in a row — that's not just a bad year, that's a studio begging to be bought out.
It's no wonder Legendary Pictures is reportedly sniffing around for a Lionsgate buyout. The same Legendary that's been raking it in with the Dune trilogy and is gearing up for A Minecraft Movie. Lionsgate, meanwhile, just split itself in half back in May 2025 — separating its movie studio from its Starz TV network in a not-so-subtle plea for buyers.
And now, Legendary is circling. Talks are unofficial, but the two companies are already looking to co-produce some films. If that goes well, Lionsgate could get swallowed up entirely.
Lionsgate's Future: Does It Even Have One?
There's no official word yet on how a buyout would affect Lionsgate's movie slate, but let's face it — it needs help. The studio still owns franchises like John Wick and Hunger Games, but even those are starting to show signs of wear. The next Hunger Games prequel is coming, but does anyone actually care anymore? The last one barely made a ripple.
The truth is, Borderlands wasn't just another flop. It was a warning sign. If you can't sell a star-stuffed, family-friendly PG-13 blockbuster based on a beloved video game, what can you sell?
Legendary seems like the only lifeline left. They've got Dune: Part 3 coming, plus whatever money Minecraft pulls in, and their leadership actually knows how to manage big IP without crashing it into the ground.
If Legendary does take over, maybe they'll do something Lionsgate clearly can't: pick projects that don't embarrass everyone involved. And maybe, just maybe, they'll think twice before greenlighting a $100 million adaptation of a game series nobody was asking to see on a movie screen in the first place.
That's assuming, of course, there's even a studio left to save.