Jacob Elordi’s ‘The Dog Stars’ Flops With Weak $8M Opening

Jacob Elordi’s latest movie, “The Dog Stars,” has failed to make an impression at the box office during its opening weekend.

Despite the actor’s growing popularity following movies like “Wuthering Heights” and “Frankenstein,” his star power couldn’t help boost the film’s performance.

“The Dog Stars” earned just $8 million during its opening weekend, falling far short of its more than $80 million production budget.

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“The Dog Stars” failed to attract a large audience during its opening weekend, despite being led by one of Hollywood’s rising stars, Jacob Elordi.

The film was shown in about 3,330 theaters across North America but brought in only $8 million during its first weekend in cinemas. This placed it fifth on the domestic box-office chart, behind several competing releases, including “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Coyote vs. Acme.”

Expectations were higher given its $80 million budget and the fact that it was helmed by Ridley Scott. However, Scott’s presence, like Elordi’s, failed to translate into strong box-office numbers.

Viewers Share Mixed Reactions To ‘The Dog Stars’

Online, some viewers who reviewed the movie shared their disappointment with its plot.

“It just didn’t really go anywhere, first hour I was in, but the second hour it lost complete control. If anything, it was a post-apocalyptic love story,” one wrote.

“I don’t know how a decent story from the book can be so poorly represented in a film,” another individual shared.

“DOG STARS is the kind of post-apocalyptic flick you’ll instantly forget,” someone else stated. “Despite being one of my favorite genres, it makes a series of underwhelming choices and has absolutely nothing new to say. Ridley Scott is on cruise control.”

Jacob Elordi Fights To Survive In ‘The Dog Stars’

“The Dog Stars” is adapted from Peter Heller’s 2012 novel and follows a lone survivor living with his dog at an abandoned airport after an apocalyptic event. His isolated existence takes a turn when he discovers a mysterious radio signal and sets out to find its source, all while struggling to secure food and other essential supplies.

While the film explores familiar post-apocalyptic themes, it takes a different approach by leaving out the zombies often seen in the genre.

Elordi leads the cast as the film’s central character, with Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney, and Benedict Wong also appearing in key roles.

Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel’ Suffered A Similar Fate

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“The Dog Stars’” weak debut also draws comparisons to Scott’s 2021 historical drama “The Last Duel,” which opened with just $4.7 million in October that year despite a production budget of roughly $100 million.

At the time, Scott claimed that Disney had done a fantastic job promoting “The Last Duel.” He then blamed millennials for the movie’s poor performance, citing their alleged ignorance of history.

“I think what it boils down to [is] what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cell phones. The millennials do not ever want to be taught anything unless you are told it on the cell phone,” Scott said.

Will Jacob Elordi And Ridley Scott Work Together Again?

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“The Dog Stars” marks the first collaboration between Elordi and veteran director Scott. For now, there is no indication that the two intend to work together again, and the film’s disappointing box-office performance could make another collaboration even less likely.

However, both are already moving on to other projects following their first collaboration.

Elordi is in talks to take on a lead role in A24’s upcoming thriller “Scapegoat.” If he joins the project, he is expected to star alongside former Marvel star Scarlett Johansson.

Meanwhile, Scott recently revealed that he is “rewriting the next Alien film,” which will likely serve as the last installment in the iconic sci-fi franchise.