Borderlands' theatrical run grinds to a halt with just $31 million worldwide, which is barely enough to cover the marketing costs

Movies & TVBorderlandsBorderlands' theatrical run grinds to a halt with just $31 million worldwide, which is barely enough to cover the marketing costsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Lionsgate Films / Gearbox Software)

Lilith, in the Borderlands movie, gives the camera the side-eye with the faintest of smirks.

The theatrical run of the Borderlands film is over, and much like my very brief career as a cook at KFC, it did not end well and nobody is surprised. After flopping badly (I mean,badly) in itsopening weekend, movie industry research and data firmThe Numbers(viaForbes) says Borderlands managed to draw in a total of just under $31 million globally—a fraction of what it cost to make and market.

Look, in some contexts $31 million is a lot of money. If I had $31 million, for instance, someone else would be writing this story. But in the context of a Hollywood film starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis? That’s something else entirely.

Varietyestimates the Borderlands flick had a production budget of roughly $115 million, and then cost another $30 million to promote and distribute. If accurate (and Variety is usually pretty good about these things) that means Borderlands earned just enough in theaters to cover its marketing budget.

So that’s bad, yeah, but just how bad is it? With help from Google and The Numbers' movie comparison feature, I can tell you this: It’sreallybad.

I present to you…

An Incomplete List of Shitty Videogame Movies That Made More Money Than Borderlands

(in no particular order)

One big-budget, big(ish)-cast Hollywood film Borderlands managed to beat, which I bring up only because I paid good money to see it in theaters and I’m still sore about the whole thing, is Wing Commander, an utterly execrable celluloid waste of time and effort that bumbled to $11.5 million globally. Frankly I’m surprised it did that well.

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In any event, our long national nightmare is over, and there’s still a chance that Borderlands will recoup at least some of its budget on direct-to-homestreaming services, which it was unceremoniously relegated to just three weeks after its theatrical debut. Enough to turn it into a money-maker? Well, no, but sometimes “slightly less awful than it could’ve been” is the best you’re going to do.

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An Incomplete List of Shitty Videogame Movies That Made More Money Than Borderlands#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

An Incomplete List of Shitty Videogame Movies That Made More Money Than Borderlands

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals