In recent years, the landscape of video game adaptations has transformed from a genre once deemed challenging into a realm of critical and commercial success, exemplified by titles like Fallout and The Last of Us. However, not every adaptation achieves such acclaim. A prominent example of this mixed reception is Eli Roth's 2024 film adaptation of the popular video game Borderlands, which initially faced significant skepticism and proved to be a notable box office disappointment.

Prior to its release, the Borderlands movie was met with considerable backlash, particularly following its trailer, and was widely considered by many to be a decade too late. These pre-release apprehensions were largely validated upon its arrival, as the film made little impact on audiences or critics and struggled significantly at the box office. The cast, despite featuring an array of star power including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Edgar Ramirez, was unable to rescue the film from widespread criticism. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reflected this poor reception, with a critics' consensus stating, "Glitching out in every department, Borderlands is balderdash," resulting in a mere 10% score. Collider's Taylor Gates described it as a "rather unmemorable summer blockbuster," lamenting that the film failed to tap into the source material's "layered characters and complicated themes of trauma and survival."

Financially, Borderlands was one of the biggest box office flops in recent memory. With a reported budget of $115 million, the film's global haul amounted to only $32 million, falling dramatically short of covering its production costs. This revenue was split between $15 million domestically and $17 million from overseas markets. The movie's struggles were evident from its opening weekend, where it dropped out of the top five domestic ranks on its first Sunday, signaling its immediate commercial failure.

Despite its initial poor performance and critical panning, Borderlands has unexpectedly found a measure of success a year after its release. At the time of writing, the film has become one of the ten most-streamed titles on Starz in the U.S., indicating a belated and unlikely resurgence in audience engagement through streaming platforms. The film's core details include a release date of August 9, 2024, a runtime of 102 minutes, direction by Eli Roth, and a screenplay by Eli Roth and Joe Crombie. It falls into the Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, and Adventure genres, drawing from the established Borderlands franchise.