Shocking Disney Move: Ridley Scott's Sci-Fi Epic Abruptly Pulled From Over 3K Theaters
Ridley Scott's recent sci-fi film, <em>The Dog Stars</em>, has faced significant box office and critical disappointment, despite a strong audience score, adding to the director's recent struggles. Meanwhile, a Collider quiz explores survival instincts across iconic sci-fi universes like The Matrix, Mad Max, and Dune, prompting reflection on how individuals might endure various dystopian futures.
Legendary director Ridley Scott's highly anticipated return to the science fiction genre with his latest film, The Dog Stars, has unfortunately fallen short of expectations, experiencing both a dismal box office performance and largely mediocre critical reception. Following his 2017 sci-fi release, Alien: Covenant, which itself underperformed and divided audiences, The Dog Stars appears to be a more significant commercial and critical disappointment.
The film, featuring a notable cast including Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Allison Janney, debuted in over 3,000 theaters domestically. However, its theatrical footprint rapidly diminished, losing more than 90% of its locations over a month-long run, ending its fifth week in just 100 theaters. Domestically, The Dog Stars has stalled well short of the $15 million mark, a figure even lower than the lifetime earnings of much smaller titles. Globally, against a reported production budget of approximately $100 million, the film has struggled to reach $40 million, starkly contrasting with Scott's previous sci-fi works like The Martian (around $630 million worldwide) and Alien: Covenant (around $240 million worldwide), both of which had similar budget tags.
Critically, The Dog Stars opened to mixed reviews and has since settled at a 40% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator website's consensus succinctly describes the film as "A derivative and drowsy tour through the post-apocalypse, The Dog Stars' lush visuals can't compensate for its listless narrative and underpowered pacing." Despite this, the film has garnered a more favorable 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting it may yet find its dedicated audience upon its release on PVOD and streaming platforms.
This performance adds to a challenging period for Ridley Scott, who has seen several of his recent major productions, including Napoleon, The Last Duel, All the Money in the World, and Exodus: Gods and Kings, also underperform at the box office. Even Gladiator II, while grossing over $460 million worldwide, reportedly cost $300 million to produce, significantly impacting its theatrical profitability. The Dog Stars, a Science Fiction Adventure Thriller with a runtime of 119 minutes, was released on August 28, 2026.
In a related exploration of the broader sci-fi landscape, Collider presented an exclusive "Sci-Fi Survival Quiz" designed to determine which dystopian or futuristic world an individual's instincts are best suited to survive. The quiz delves into five distinct universes: The Matrix, Mad Max, Blade Runner, Dune, and Star Wars. Through eight carefully crafted questions, participants are prompted to assess their instincts regarding how they would react to pervasive threats, manage resources, deal with authority, choose alliances, and define their purpose in a broken or challenging future.
The quiz offers personalized outcomes based on these choices. For those whose instincts align with The Matrix, survival hinges on being a systems thinker, adept at understanding and dismantling constructed realities, thriving within the Resistance by leveraging information and freedom. Individuals suited for the Mad Max wasteland are characterized as hard to kill and break, prioritizing a vehicle, fuel, and a clear threat, embodying an unsentimental resilience. Survival in Blade Runner's 2049 Los Angeles requires navigating moral grey areas, accurate people-reading, and maintaining a small, trusted circle, holding onto functionality in a dehumanized city.
The hostile environment of Arrakis in Dune rewards those with patience, discipline, and political awareness, understanding the long game and learning the desert planet's logic to eventually reshape it. Finally, those whose instincts point to a Galaxy Far, Far Away from Star Wars find purpose in being part of something larger, like the Rebellion, fighting not out of necessity but from an inherent inability to stand aside against oppressive forces such as the Empire. This quiz offers a fascinating juxtaposition to the narrative of Ridley Scott's latest sci-fi offering, inviting reflection on what it truly takes to endure in fictional, yet often thought-provoking, futures.