Ridley Scott remains one of science fiction’s most influential filmmakers, having directed Alien and Blade Runner. However, his latest genre release, The Dog Stars, has suffered a sharp theatrical decline.
The Dog Stars disappears from most cinemas
The Scott-directed and produced film opened domestically on 28 August in 3,330 cinemas. Box Office Mojo’s figures show an opening weekend of just $7.7 million, followed by $3.4 million over the subsequent Labor Day weekend.
That performance led distributors to reduce the film’s cinema footprint to 1,030 venues for its third weekend, beginning 11 September. One week later, the run was reduced again to 110 cinemas. Since 25 September, The Dog Stars has been playing in approximately 100 venues.
A substantial gap between earnings and budget
The film’s reported average is currently about $14 per cinema per day. Its domestic total stands at $14.9 million, while the worldwide gross has reached $39.2 million. Reports place the production budget between $75 million and $110 million.
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What the film is about
The Dog Stars adapts Peter Heller’s 2012 novel. Jacob Elordi plays Hig, a young pilot living in an isolated homestead with Bangley, a military survivalist portrayed by Josh Brolin. Their harsh post-apocalyptic routine changes when a mysterious radio transmission encourages Hig to leave home and search for signs of hope and human connection.
The ensemble also includes Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney and Benedict Wong. Mark L. Smith, who wrote Twisters and The Revenant, provided the screenplay.
Scott is still pursuing science fiction
The weak cinema performance does not appear to have pulled Scott away from the genre. He is working on a new adaptation of Treasure Island starring Hugh Jackman, and has also teased plans for another Alien film focused on Michael Fassbender’s character, David.
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