Given that the entire film industry is now heavily reliant on live services and streaming platforms, what incentive is there for consumers to actively go to cinemas anymore?
Take, for example, the disastrous Borderlands movie that recently hit theaters. As I anticipated, the film, ruined by poor casting choices which exclusively features old actresses and one of the shortest men in Hollywood, Kevin Hart, completely butchered the original game’s story and narrative.
Unsurprisingly, it flopped spectacularly and is now reportedly set to hit streaming services just three weeks after its theatrical release.
When the Borderlands movie premiered in theaters earlier this month, initial reactions were harsh, describing it as a “disaster” and “uninspired.”
In response, Gearbox CEO, the studio behind the Borderlands game series, had a meltdown on Twitter, launching a tirade against critics of the film.
Randy Pitchford even went so far as to block content creators on Twitter, including Killer Six, who was or is still a member of Gearbox’s “Stream Team” a select group of content creators who receive special treatment from Gearbox.
These favored creators are often flown out to real-life events and sign NDAs to ensure positive coverage of the company’s games. Meanwhile, Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, whose company recently acquired Gearbox, urged moviegoers to “give it a chance” during his company’s Q1 earnings call.
“Let’s give the film a chance. 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. So let’s see what audiences have to say. But to answer your question, no, the performance of the film wouldn’t have a financial impact on us or on the franchise one way or another.”
Nowhere throughout such comments does he state that the movie is actually good.
I personally gave the film a “chance” by watching the trailer back in February, and honestly, that’s more of a chance than the director gave the game to play for an authentic adaptation, which is everything gamers want when it comes to watching beloved franchises make it to the big screen.
Since its release on August 9th, Borderlands the movie has earned around $20 million at the box office, with just $8.8 million from its opening weekend.
With a reported production budget of $110 to $120 million, Lionsgate is far from recouping the development costs, which is unsurprising given the film’s blatant deviation from the original game’s storyline.
The movie awkwardly integrates characters like Patricia Tannis, Krieg, and Tiny Tina, who are out of place. It’s likely that Patricia Tannis was included in the main group because of her significant role during the latter stages of Borderlands’ storyline, particularly in assembling the final parts of the vault key.
Krieg’s inclusion might be because the movie needed a “poster” character, and the Borderlands franchise is closely associated with its “Psycho” or “Bandit” enemies. Tiny Tina appears, albeit in her older form from Borderlands 3, likely due to her popularity and memorable presence as a quirky, psychopathic child in Borderlands 2.
Instead of capturing the gritty essence of the first game, the film opts for a comedic approach that falls flat, with cringeworthy dialogue reminiscent of later installments.
The decision to cast Kevin Hart in a serious role further underscores the film’s misguided direction, and the absence of key characters like Brick and Mordecai only adds to its missteps. Unsurprisingly, the film has scored a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
As an avid fan of the original Borderlands game, the movie wasn’t entirely disappointing. In fact, the only standout feature was the unique CL4P-TP themed popcorn bucket, which I genuinely like.
The Borderlands movie is now slated to debut on streaming services very soon, with a release date of August 30, less than three weeks after its theatrical debut, according to tracking websites like The Hollywood Handle and When to Stream.
Both sites, known for their reliable reporting on streaming dates, note that Lionsgate, the film’s distributor, has not yet confirmed this streaming date. Therefore, the release date should not be considered final until officially confirmed by the studio.
Given the pervasive influence of streaming platforms and their constant price increases, including the introduction of cheaper, ad-supported subscription tiers, consumers are now paying around $100 annually for access to a wide array of movies and TV shows.
Modern film and TV adaptations often go straight to these streaming services, where they are evaluated based on reception, watch time, and viewership figures. There’s little reason or desire to go to the theater, as movies no longer require long waits for DVD or Blu-Ray releases, everything is available digitally.
Randy Pitchford was convinced that his one-trick pony, the Borderlands franchise, would find success at the box office, with hopes of launching its own “cinematic universe.”
However, much like the outdated dialogue in the games, this vision seems out of touch with modern audiences. Pitchford, now a shadow of his former self, has continued to drag his Texas-based studio down with repeated failures, from the weak narrative of Borderlands 3 to the disappointing release of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a DLC expansion marketed as a standalone game.
Despite his involvement in controversies surrounding lost USB drives with “jailbait” porn, getting into a physical fight with David Eddings, the original voice behind Claptrap to singing a song about gamergate and bigots.
Randy Pitchford will remain in charge as his team works on the next likely misstep in the franchise, Borderlands 4, at least on the bright side, there are no plans for a sequel to the disastrous movie adaptation.
