There was no respite forRidley Scotton Monday, when final opening-weekend box-office numbers were reported for his new movie, The Dog Stars. The movie fell dramatically short of expectations, which were conservative to begin with. It marks Scott’s latest underperformer in a streak that has gone on for longer than he would like. Scott works at a brisk pace, even in his late 80s. He typically has numerous projects in the works at the same time, pulling the trigger on the one that is closest to taking final shape. The Dog Stars is his first new sci-fi movie in nearly a decade; his last foray into the genre, Alien: Covenant, underperformed at the box office as well.
Scott recently announced his desire to return to that classic sci-fi franchise, which he helped create back in the 1970s. Over the years, Scott has returned to the Alien series in different capacities, and following the critical and commercial success of Alien: Romulus a couple of years ago, it seemed like the series was back on track. But there has been no word on the sequel, other than Fede Álvarez‘s comments about not returning to direct. Perhaps this was because of Scott’s intervention. The veteran filmmaker previously pivoted the franchise in a different direction after Neill Blomkamp had spent years working on a fifth Alien movie.
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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
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Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
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🚀Star Wars
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01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
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02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
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03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
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05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
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06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
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08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
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Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
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The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
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The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
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Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
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Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
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Here’s How Much ‘The Dog Stars’ Has Grossed at the Box Office
The Dog Stars, on the other hand, has emerged as his lowest-grossing movie since the star-studded crime movie The Counselor, which was released in 2013. Starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce, The Dog Stars has so far grossed $18 million worldwide against a reported budget of $70 million. In the last few years, Scott has delivered costly misfires such as The Last Duel, Napoleon, and even Gladiator II, whose $460 million-plus global haul was offset by a reported price tag of around $300 million. The Dog Stars opened to poor reviews and is now sitting at a 40% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s consensus reads, “A derivative and drowsy tour through the post-apocalypse, The Dog Stars‘ lush visuals can’t compensate for its listless narrative and underpowered pacing.”
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The Dog Stars is in theaters now. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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