Month: August 2024

27 Aug

Borderlands is ready to make it rain body parts in your home with a PVOD release sooner than you’d think

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Borderlands, PVOD, digital, home release

Lionsgate is bringing Eli Roth’s Borderlands to Premium Video on Demand later this month to lick its wounds after a dismal box office performance. Beginning August 30, you can purchase Borderlands via PVOD and Premium Electronic Sell-Through. The tale of the film’s journey to the silver screen and subsequent failure at the box office is legend, with journalists and fans baffled by the movie’s ability to misfire despite boasting 17.75 million guns.

I don’t know that anything could have saved Borderlands from its unfortunate fate. The humor of the video game franchise is obnoxious and dated at best, with characters barking in leet speak amidst a Warrior Road-like setting. While colorful characters populate the franchise, production for Borderlands became a hellish experience, with delays, rewrites, and a lack of real stakes making the project’s success an up-dune battle.

The only thing going for Borderlands before release was the film’s cast, which consists of Hollywood A-listers like Cate Blanchett (Lilith), Kevin Hart (Roland), Jack Black (Claptrap), Jamie Lee Curtis (Tannis), Ariana Greenblatt (Tiny Tina), and Gina Gershon (Moxxi). An ensemble such as this could turn coal into diamonds, right? Apparently not. The movie has only garnered $25 million against an estimated $110-$120 million budget, making it one of the biggest box office blunders in film history.

According to Jimmy O’Dee, a stunt coordinator on the film, an R-rated version of Borderlands was the goal.

“We were shooting an R-rated movie when we did it. We always knew that we were going to go either 15 or R rating, it’s 15 in UK, for a slightly mature audience,” O’Dee told ScreenRant. “So, we were blowing people’s heads off. And we were cutting feet off. We were doing all of that. But then, you know, a lot happens. We shot that nearly three years ago, or we just finished it. So, I guess a lot happens in post, and they see where it’s going to go and what market they’re aiming for. But literally the idea and the brief was carnage, head cutting off, feet cutting off. Go for it and then we’ll sort it out in post. It was that kind of thing.”

Given Roth’s history in the horror genre, it’s no surprise that he would want to bring a little of that to Borderlands. “He loves horror,” O’Dee said. “It was funny, he was on the second unit, he came over, and he was like, “Uh… just cut the ankles off. Yeah, get the knife and cut the ankles, and we will leave these stubs.” It was kind of like there wasn’t enough gore for him sometimes. Eli was all over that kind of stuff. He was great to work with. It was such a fun time with him.” The film ultimately received a PG-13 rating for intense sequences of violence and action, language, and some suggestive material.

Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Borderlands stars Cate Blanchett as Lillith, an infamous outlaw who returns to the place where she grew up and forms an alliance with a team of misfits to find the missing daughter of the most powerful man in the universe.

If you’re like me in that you’re still morbidly curious about Borderlands, you can bring it home via PVOD beginning this Friday, August 30. Why not make a night of it? Invite a few friends, pour drinks, eat an edible, and laugh yourselves stupid. Not every movie needs to change the world. There may be a place for Borderlands, after all.

The post Borderlands is ready to make it rain body parts in your home with a PVOD release sooner than you’d think appeared first on JoBlo.

27 Aug

The chances of an It Ends With Us sequel look grim as the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni feud endures

By . FilmTV No Comments
It Ends With Us, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Sony, sequel

The fate of one of 2024’s runaway hits, It Ends With Us, could leave fans with a sour taste as the story is likely to go unfinished on the silver screen. The cinematic adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling book counts $242 million for the Justin Baldoni-directed drama starring Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The Shallows, The Town), Baldoni, and Brandon Sklenar (Midway, Westworld, Vice), with a $300 million take in sight. To put its success in perspective, It Ends With Us only cost $25 million, making the box office profits nothing to dismiss. However, an ongoing feud between Lively and Baldoni could keep audiences from seeing an It Ends With Us sequel.

Typically, studios lock down the necessary cast members and fast-track a sequel when a surprise smash like this comes along. It helps that Hoover’s sequel novel exists, leaving the path to more story crystal clear. However, a source close to the original film’s production says it’s unlikely that Lively and Baldoni will work together again.

“This is uncharted territory, and nobody has any idea of what a sequel could look like,” says the source. “There’s probably no world where these two will work together again.”

The drama surrounding It Ends With Us reportedly began when Baldoni became upset about not getting photographed with the cast at the film’s New York premiere. Baldoni then failed to present the film alongside Lively and Hoover at the illustrious event. Oddly, none of the film’s stars follow Baldoni on social media, save for Hasan Minhaj. Social media is a significant part of PR for cinema, with cast and crew sharing photos, leaving comments, and hyping the project’s release. Baldoni was not a part of that process, or at least that’s how it appeared to fans online. Watercooler whispers also point to Lively and Baldoni having disagreements about the film’s final cut, with Lively’s version ultimately being the one to play in theaters.

To complicate matters, Ryan Reynolds reportedly helped Lively write a scene in the film’s final cut, possibly raising credit issues with the WGA. There’s also the matter of production for It Ends With Us, which started three days after the WGA strike began. Reynolds is a proud member of the WGA. He could have violated the organization’s rules if he had helped write a scene after the strike began. Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios also holds the cinematic writes to It Ends With Us as if those issues were insufficient.

Confusion surrounding the film makes an It Ends With Us sequel unlikely, as many close to the situation say Lively and Baldoni’s relationship is toxic and in ruin. If the stars align and It Starts With Us enters production, Baldoni told Entertainment Tonight he’ll likely pass the directorial torch and thinks Lively is up to the task. Meanwhile, Baldoni’s character, Ryle, plays a minor role in the sequel, meaning they could write around him or recast.

Frustratingly, Sony is caught between a rock and a hard place regarding an It Ends With Us sequel. Ideally, a sequel would get rushed into production, with as little a gap between films as possible. Still, the tea leaves are sinking to the bottom of the cup for this one.

Do you hope something gets figured out for an It Ends With Us sequel? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post The chances of an It Ends With Us sequel look grim as the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni feud endures appeared first on JoBlo.

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