A Minecraft Movie has been dominating the box office, less than a year after Borderlands was predicted to be the upcoming video game movie that would bring big success to Lionsgate and director Eli Roth. With a star-packed cast, the adaptation of the beloved video game franchise had blockbuster potential written all over it, but delays, pandemic complications, and behind-the-scenes struggles meant the film fell far short of expectations, and it was obliterated by critics. Now, the Cabin Fever helmer spoke with brutally honesty about the experience and what it taught him.
Speaking on The Town podcast hosted by Matthew Belloni, Roth broke down the chaotic journey of Borderlands, explaining how COVID disruptions, scattered production schedules, and studio demands left him in unfamiliar territory, even when it came to watching the final cut of the movie. He shared:
That was kind of an experience, never had that before. I remember thinking, ‘Am I at the point of my career where I’m going to sit down to watch my own movie that says I wrote and directed it, and I genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen?’
It’s a really straightforward take on how unpredictable the whole process turned out to be. Roth’s time with Borderlands wasn’t just tough, it was something he’d never faced before as a filmmaker who usually has a solid grip on his vision.
Borderlands’ Behind-the-Scenes Chaos
Eli Roth wasn’t even involved in the film’s reshoots, having moved on to his slasher Thanksgiving during that time. He admitted that while he didn’t hold any grudges about the process, it highlighted just how out of step the production had become. He continued:
I believe that, once they [the studio] pay you, that’s part of the deal… If there’s creative differences or they’re doing reshoots without you… you get out there, you put on a smile and people smack you in the face. You gotta stand there and go, ‘OK.’
The reshoots, paired with an attempt to secure a PG-13 rating, despite the R-rated cut allegedly blowing people’s minds, meant Borderlands ended up far from The Green Inferno directors’ usual brand of gritty, genre-driven storytelling. And COVID didn’t help either. The film went into pre-production in 2020, with cameras rolling in 2021, right in the middle of lockdowns and strict health protocols. The Hostel creator shared:
None of us anticipated how complicated things were gonna be with COVID… You have to do pick-up shots or reshoots, and you have six people that are all on different sets… You can’t prep a movie on that scale over Zoom.
That’s relatable. I think COVID was more complicated than any of us could have imagined, and that’s not having to prep a movie.
Borderlands’ Poor Box Office Performance
Despite an A-list cast including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, Borderlands failed to draw the crowds that Lionsgate was banking on. With a production budget reportedly around $115 million, the film only managed to bring in $33 million at the global box office, a disappointing return for what was expected to be a major franchise-starter. Roth didn’t dodge the reality, admitting:
I think we all thought we could pull it off… And we got our asses handed to us a bit.
When Borderlands finally debuted, it landed with more of a thud than a bang, especially compared to other 2024 gaming adaptations like Five Nights at Freddy’s or The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which were massive hits.
The Inglorious Basterds alum’s remarks show a mix of humility and the tough lessons learned from making movies after the pandemic. It wasn’t just a matter of bad timing; it was a perfect storm of scheduling issues, coordination struggles, and external pressure. A lot can go wrong during filming, especially when it takes three years to wrap up a project like this one.
Despite the box office stumble, Roth remains a respected voice in genre filmmaking, and his honesty about the experience is refreshing. The director’s next big project is an upcoming horror movie, and yep, you guessed it: it’s the greenlit sequel to Thanksgiving.