The Dog Stars Officially Scores Ridley Scott’s Lowest Box Office Opening in 5 Years: A Practical Look

Ridley Scott will turn 89 years old in November, and as he gets older, he’s keeping as busy as ever. In this decade alone, he’s released five films, including this weekend’s The Dog Stars. An adaptation of the novel of the same name, Scott’s post-apocalyptic thriller was leaning on its best-selling source material and star-studded cast to leave an impression on viewers. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. After The Dog Stars received mixed-to-negative reviews (being hit with Scott’s lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in 12 years), the film struggled at the box office and posted Scott’s lowest opening weekend in years.

According to Deadline, The Dog Stars earned just $8 million domestically in its first three days. It’s tracking for a fifth-place finish this weekend. Assuming that figure sticks, The Dog Stars will score Scott’s lowest debut since 2021’s The Last Duel, which opened with $4.7 million. The Last Duel comes with the caveat of being a pandemic-era release that had a 45-day theatrical window before it became available on home media.

Can The Dog Stars Rebound From Its Low Opening Weekend?

The Dog Stars had a production budget between $70-110 million, a figure that doesn’t include marketing and distribution costs. This definitely is not the start 20th Century Studios was hoping for, but it arguably isn’t the biggest surprise. Ridley Scott is a legendary director with several successes to his name, but The Dog Stars always seemed to be on shaky ground. Its release date was moved from March to August, a sign that 20th Century wasn’t entirely confident in what they had. Rather than go up against the acclaimed blockbuster Project Hail Mary earlier this year, the studio shifted The Dog Stars to a far less competitive window. August can deliver major hits (Guardians of the Galaxy, Weapons), but it’s typically a quieter month at the multiplex. 20th Century slotted The Dog Stars here and hoped for the best, hoping it could take advantage of minimal competition if it caught on.

Instead, The Dog Stars is in a position where it needs to rebound from a disappointing opening, and the odds of that happening are low. The film is hardly a critical darling; it currently has a 40% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with much criticism being lobbied at its underwhelming story and slow pacing. This year, audiences have shown they’re more than willing to head out to the movie theater to see new releases, but they have to feel as if the trip is worth it. It isn’t a coincidence that many of this year’s biggest box office hits benefited from strong word of mouth. The critically acclaimed Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey are still leading the way this weekend even though both have been playing for a long time.

There aren’t many high-profile new titles releasing in early September (Labor Day weekend is historically a box office dead zone), but that probably won’t be much help to The Dog Stars. This is a film that needed reviews on it side to generate buzz and excitement. Scott is a recognizable name, but he alone is not enough of a draw. Very few directors are in that category, and the ones who are have a more consistent track record of quality. Scott’s highs are among the greatest films of all time, but he’s had his fair share of ups and downs more recently, so the latest Ridley Scott film is not appointment viewing for general audiences. The Dog Stars seems destined to try find its audience at a later point when it hits streaming.

The Dog Stars might be a box office bomb, but it shouldn’t have any ill effects on Scott’s career. The director is already busy on his next project, a Treasure Island movie starring Hugh Jackman. Scott also has several other films lined up, including another Alien prequel that would see Michael Fassbender return as the android David. Whichever movie Scott releases next, hopefully it’s better received and gives fans at least one more hit to enjoy.