Borderlands’ Eli Roth Did Not Hold Back About The Box Office Response To His Movie: ‘That Was An Experience’

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A “Minecraft” film has been reigning supreme at the box office, while the anticipated success of a “Borderlands” movie for Lionsgate and director Eli Roth was predicted less than a year ago. Packed with stars, this adaptation of the popular video game series had all the makings of a blockbuster hit, but delays, pandemic-related complications, and production challenges resulted in the film falling significantly short of expectations. Critics were merciless in their reviews. Now, the director of “Cabin Fever” openly discusses this experience and what he learned from it.

On “The Town” podcast led by Matthew Belloni, Roth delved into the tumultuous saga of “Borderlands”, detailing how COVID-related issues, inconsistent production timelines, and studio pressures placed him in uncharted waters, even when viewing the film’s final version. He disclosed:

As a cinephile, experiencing that was truly unprecedented. It struck me, “Is this the stage of my creative journey where I’ll be seated in a cinema, about to watch a movie that bears my name as both writer and director, unsure of what unfolds on screen next?

The approach taken here is quite clear and unexpectedly challenging, given the usual control Roth maintains over his filmmaking vision. His tenure with Borderlands, however, presented an unprecedented difficulty for him.

Borderlands’ Behind-the-Scenes Chaos

Eli Roth wasn’t part of the film’s reshoots since he was working on his slasher movie titled “Thanksgiving” during that period. Although he doesn’t harbor any resentment about the process, it served to underscore how far off-course the production had drifted, as he further explained.

As a fan, I understand that getting paid is just part of the agreement when working with the studio. However, if there are creative disagreements or they’re doing reshoots without me, it can feel like a slap in the face. But I have to keep my cool and say, “Okay,” despite the challenges that come my way.

Due to additional filming and efforts to achieve a PG-13 rating, despite initial R-rated versions reportedly astonishing audiences, the movie “Borderlands” veered away significantly from the directors’ typical style of raw, genre-focused storytelling. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic added complications, as production began in 2020 and filming started in 2021, during lockdowns and stringent health measures. Eli Roth, the creator of “Hostel,” commented on these challenges.

It came as a surprise to everyone how intricate the challenges of COVID turned out to be… You need to take additional footage or redo scenes, and you’re dealing with six individuals who are all working in separate locations… Coordinating a production of such magnitude remotely via Zoom is simply not feasible.

As a film enthusiast, I can certainly relate to the complexity of COVID-19. It’s been far more challenging than any script or movie set we’ve ever encountered.

Borderlands’ Poor Box Office Performance

Regardless of boasting a star-studded cast with Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, the movie “Borderlands” fell short of attracting the anticipated audiences that Lionsgate had hoped for. With an estimated production cost around $115 million, the film earned just $33 million at the worldwide box office, a poor performance given its intended role as a potential franchise launcher. Roth acknowledged this predicament, confessing: “It didn’t escape my notice that we didn’t meet our expectations.

I think we all thought we could pull it off… And we got our asses handed to us a bit.

Initially, when Borderlands was released, it didn’t create the expected boom but rather a muted response, particularly in contrast to other 2024 game adaptations such as Five Nights at Freddy’s and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which were enormous successes.

The former star of Inglorious Basterds reflects a blend of humility and insights gleaned from movie-making post-pandemic. It wasn’t merely poor timing; it was a complex sequence of scheduling challenges, communication difficulties, and external pressures. Many things can go awry during filming, especially when it takes three years to complete a project as extensive as this one.

Regardless of the setback at the box office, Roth continues to be a highly respected figure in filmmaking within the genre, and his candidness about the situation is commendable. Interestingly enough, his next major project happens to be another horror movie – surprise, surprise: it’s the greenlit follow-up to Thanksgiving.

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2025-04-17 22:20