Disney and 20th Century Studios’ “The Dog Stars” suffered a disappointing debut at the box office, earning only $8 million from 3,330 locations during its opening weekend. The post-apocalyptic thriller, which carried a production budget exceeding $80 million, secured a fifth-place finish and faced significant headwinds from both critics and audiences, earning a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “C+” grade from CinemaScore. The film stars Jacob Elordi as a solitary survivor of an apocalypse who embarks on a journey to investigate a mysterious broadcast signal, supported by a cast including Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Benedict Wong.
Industry analysts predict the film will lose tens of millions throughout its theatrical run, marking a major setback for director Ridley Scott. The result mirrors Scott’s 2021 film “The Last Duel,” which opened to just $4.7 million against a $100 million budget. While Scott achieved monumental success with “The Martian” in 2015—grossing $630 million worldwide—his recent projects have struggled to connect with audiences at the box office.
Meanwhile, Sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” maintained its dominance for a fifth consecutive weekend, earning $22.2 million and pushing its domestic total to $891 million. The superhero film approaches two historic milestones, nearing the all-time domestic record of $936 million held by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and positioning itself to become the first film to reach $1 billion in North American box office revenue alone.
Originally reported by Variety →
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