Ridley Scott’s ‘The Dog Stars’ Confirms Disappointing Opening Weekend Numbers

Late-summer box office slots are notoriously tough, and few films demonstrate that better than this latest offering from one of Hollywood’s most esteemed directors. What began with cautious optimism has quickly turned into one of the season’s more disappointing debuts.

Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic drama ‘The Dog Stars’ hit theaters this weekend, bringing with it the kind of star power that typically ensures at least a decent opening. With Scott at the helm and a cast featuring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, the film appeared poised to attract significant audiences despite its adult-oriented theme.

However, that optimism has given way to stark reality. ‘The Dog Stars’ managed to pull in only $3 million on Friday from 3,330 North American theaters, with estimates suggesting a full weekend total of around $7.2 million.

This underwhelming Friday figure follows a troubling preview night, which garnered just $850,000 the night before, according to Variety. The film has now dropped to fourth place in the domestic box office rankings, lagging behind both new releases and established favorites.

Currently, ‘The Dog Stars’ is trailing ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ which had a much stronger Friday with $5.2 million from 3,575 screens, setting it up for a weekend total of about $13.5 million. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ continues to show impressive staying power, earning $3.7 million on Friday alone in its seventh weekend, pushing its domestic total past $560 million.

The film follows Hig, a former civilian pilot portrayed by Elordi, who survives a devastating flu pandemic that decimates humanity. He grapples with the loss of his wife while navigating a perilous new world alongside Bangley, a tough ex-Marine played by Brolin. The supporting cast includes Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney, and Benedict Wong, adapting Peter Heller’s acclaimed 2012 novel.

The film’s budget makes this outcome particularly concerning for its distributors. With production costs reportedly as high as $110 million before marketing, ‘The Dog Stars’ needed a much stronger debut to remain in the profitability zone, a target that becomes increasingly elusive as opening weekend figures remain weak.

Critical reception has not helped the film’s prospects, with ‘The Dog Stars’ currently holding a 40 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from over 150 reviews. Audience reactions have been slightly more favorable, reflected in a better score on the platform’s Popcornmeter, but the gap between critics and viewers hasn’t been enough to significantly boost box office performance.

For Scott, now 88 and still remarkably active, this represents another tough theatrical outing following a series of underwhelming results for his recent projects. Nevertheless, the veteran filmmaker shows no signs of slowing down, with several high-profile projects reportedly in various stages of development.

With international box office results still to come and word of mouth yet to be established, ‘The Dog Stars’ will require significant assistance in the coming weeks to avoid becoming one of the year’s more costly disappointments.

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