Posted in: Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Borderlands

Borderlands: "Nearly Everything That Could Go Wrong Did Go Wrong"

During an earnings call, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer admitted that "nearly everything that could go wrong went wrong" regarding Borderlands.

Lionsgate is not exactly having the best year. Over the summer, there was a definitive loser, and it was Lionsgate without a shadow of a doubt. It wasn't just the summer, though; the studio hasn't had a film that has really connected with audiences since The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes a year ago. While Lionsgate knows how to do movies cheaply, so they don't have to make much up in returns, that's not good. The studio even admits that the models are working even as the movies are underperforming. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer was on a conference call on Thursday (via The Wrap) and said films like The Crow, Megalopolis, and Never Let Go "though cushioned by financial models that worked as intended, didn't live up to either our standards or our projections. … The success of our financial models doesn't take the place of also getting the creative right." Essentially, Lionsgate is able to make up the difference and still believes that bringing on the right people will solve all of its problems.

However, not all of the movies Lionsgate has released this year are well budgeted and can be waved off with smaller box office takes that could made up with digital sales. Borderlands is the kind of top-to-bottom disaster that people in the film industry have nightmares about. It seemed like everything was fine; the film wrapped, and they sent out some neat little images to tease things. Then the studio decided that reshoots were needed, but they had this big, impressive cast that was busy, and they couldn't get them back, so the film kept getting delayed. By the time it came out, it was a mess, but it seemed like it was a mess from the beginning. At least that was the impression that Feltheimer gave on the earnings call when he said, "Nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong: it sat on the shelf for too long during the pandemic, and reshoots and rising interest rates took it outside the safety zone of our usual strict financial models." The corporate translation for that is that Lionsgate took a big swing and lost even bigger when it comes to Borderlands. 

At this point, there isn't much that Lionsgate could do to salvage 2024. Even if every release they have for the rest of the year hits with audiences, which doesn't seem likely considering the amount of competition out there, the previous ten months can't be ignored. They are hoping next year will be better, but at this point, John Wick and The Hunger Games are keeping the lights on at Lionsgate when films like Borderlands come along.

Borderlands: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Summary: In the movie, Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe's most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Ramirez). Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina's musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they'll be fighting for something more: each other.

Borderlands is directed by Eli Roth, and the cast includes Lilith, played by Cate Blanchett, Roland (Kevin Hart), Dr. Patricia Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), Krieg (Florian Munteanu), and Claptrap (Jack Black). The film also stars Edgar Martinez, Gina Gershon, Janina Gavankar, Cheyenne Jackson, Charles Babalola, Benjamin Byron Davis, Steven Boyer, Ryann Redmond, and Haley Bennett. It was released on August 9, 2024.

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