Ridley Scott's Sci-Fi Epic Loses Thousands Of Theaters After Flopping At Box Office

Credit: MediaPunch/INSTARimages Published Sep 24, 2026, 10:29 AM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Dog Stars is being chased out of domestic theaters. The new Ridley Scott movie, which adapts the Peter Heller novel of the same name, stars Jacob Elordi as a pilot who lives in post-apocalyptic Colorado after a superflu pandemic. The supporting cast of 2026's The Dog Stars includes Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Benedict Wong, Guy Pearce, and Allison Janney. When the movie opened on August 28, its 3-day domestic total of $7.7 million was the fifth-lowest domestic debut for the prolific filmmaker since 2000. Its current global total of $40 million falls far short of turning a profit on its reported budget of more than $70 million. Cinema · A Ridley Scott Production Ridley ScottFilmography Trivia 👽Sci-FiIn space ⚔HistoricalEpic 🎥ThrillerTension 🏆LegacyLegend 🚀ModernVisionary LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! → 01 Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror masterpiece introduced audiences to one of cinema’s most terrifying creatures and launched a massive franchise. The film’s tagline was “In space, no one can hear you scream.” What is this iconic film? ABlade Runner BAlien CPrometheus DThe Martian ✓ Correct! Alien (1979) redefined both the sci-fi and horror genres. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley became one of cinema’s greatest heroines, and H.R. Giger’s nightmarish creature design created an icon of terror that has endured for over four decades. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is Alien. Released in 1979, it combined claustrophobic horror with science fiction in a way never seen before. The film spawned multiple sequels, prequels, and crossovers, becoming one of the most successful franchises in movie history. NEXT → 02 Ridley Scott’s 1982 neo-noir sci-fi film, initially a box office disappointment, went on to become one of the most influential films ever made. It explores the question of what it means to be human through artificial beings called replicants. What is this film? ATotal Recall BAlien CBlade Runner DA.I. Artificial Intelligence ✓ Correct! Blade Runner (1982) is now considered one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. Based on Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,” it pioneered the cyberpunk aesthetic and raised profound philosophical questions about consciousness and identity. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is Blade Runner. Despite underperforming at the box office in 1982, it became a cult classic and is now widely regarded as a masterpiece. Its rain-soaked neon cityscape and Rutger Hauer’s “tears in rain” monologue are etched into cinema history. NEXT → 03 Ridley Scott directed a 2000 epic historical drama starring Russell Crowe as a Roman general betrayed by the emperor’s son and forced to fight as a gladiator. The film won five Academy Awards including Best Picture. What is this film? AKingdom of Heaven BTroy CBen-Hur DGladiator ✓ Correct! Gladiator (2000) revived the sword-and-sandal epic genre and earned Russell Crowe the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film’s iconic line “Are you not entertained?” and Hans Zimmer’s thunderous score cemented it as one of the greatest historical epics ever made. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is Gladiator. Russell Crowe’s portrayal of Maximus Decimus Meridius is legendary. The film won five Oscars and single-handedly revived the historical epic genre, inspiring countless imitators in the years that followed. NEXT → 04 In 1991, Ridley Scott directed a groundbreaking road thriller starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as two women on the run after a tragic incident. The film became a cultural landmark for its feminist themes. What is this film? AThelma & Louise BG.I. Jane CA Good Year DSomeone to Watch Over Me ✓ Correct! Thelma & Louise (1991) was a cultural phenomenon that challenged Hollywood conventions. Written by Callie Khouri, who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, the film’s iconic final scene of the 1966 Thunderbird sailing over the Grand Canyon remains one of cinema’s most memorable images. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is Thelma & Louise. This 1991 road thriller starred Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis and became a landmark of feminist cinema. It also featured a young Brad Pitt in a breakout role that helped launch his career. NEXT → 05 Ridley Scott directed a 2001 war film based on the true story of a U.S. military operation in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993, where a mission to capture a warlord went catastrophically wrong. What is this film? AAmerican Sniper BBlack Hawk Down CThe Kingdom DBody of Lies ✓ Correct! Black Hawk Down (2001) is a visceral, unflinching portrayal of the Battle of Mogadishu. Based on Mark Bowden’s book, the film won two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Its intense, documentary-style combat sequences set a new standard for war films. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is Black Hawk Down. This 2001 war film depicted the harrowing 1993 Battle of Mogadishu with unflinching realism. American Sniper was directed by Clint Eastwood, while The Kingdom and Body of Lies were directed by other filmmakers. NEXT → 06 In 2015, Ridley Scott directed a survival sci-fi film starring Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars who must use his ingenuity to survive until rescue arrives. The film was based on Andy Weir’s novel. What is this film? AInterstellar BGravity CThe Martian DAd Astra ✓ Correct! The Martian (2015) was a critical and commercial triumph, earning over $630 million worldwide. Matt Damon’s charismatic performance as botanist Mark Watney, who “sciences the **** out of” his survival on Mars, earned the film seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is The Martian. While Interstellar was directed by Christopher Nolan, Gravity by Alfonso Cuarón, and Ad Astra by James Gray, it was Ridley Scott who brought Andy Weir’s beloved novel about a stranded astronaut to spectacular life on screen. NEXT → 07 Ridley Scott returned to the Alien franchise in 2012 with a prequel film that explored the origins of humanity and the mysterious Engineers who created the xenomorphs. What is the name of this prequel? AAlien: Covenant BAlien: Resurrection CAliens DPrometheus ✓ Correct! Prometheus (2012) marked Ridley Scott’s return to the universe he created over three decades earlier. The film expanded the Alien mythology by exploring the Engineers, an ancient race responsible for creating human life, and introduced new questions about the origins of the deadly xenomorphs. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is Prometheus. Alien: Covenant (2017) was actually the sequel to Prometheus. Aliens (1986) was directed by James Cameron, and Alien: Resurrection (1997) was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Prometheus was Scott’s grand return to the franchise. NEXT → 08 Ridley Scott has directed over 25 feature films across multiple decades and genres. Despite his immense influence on cinema, he has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director multiple times but has never won. For which film did he receive his first Best Director Oscar nomination? AGladiator BBlade Runner CThelma & Louise DBlack Hawk Down ✓ Correct! Ridley Scott received his first Best Director Oscar nomination for Thelma & Louise (1991). He was nominated again for Gladiator (2000) and Black Hawk Down (2001), but has never won. Despite this, he received a knighthood in 2003 and remains one of cinema’s most respected and prolific directors. ✗ Even Ridley would call “Cut!” on that answer! The answer is Thelma & Louise. While many assume it was Gladiator, Scott’s first Best Director nomination actually came for the 1991 road thriller. He was subsequently nominated for Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, but the Oscar has remained elusive throughout his legendary career. REVEAL MY SCORE → Final Cut Complete Your Director’s Chair Rating / 8 Are you a Ridley Scott scholar — or still watching the director’s commentary? ↻ WATCH AGAIN Per Box Office Mojo, The Dog Stars is currently only playing in 110 theaters during its fourth week at the domestic box office. This is a staggering drop from its debut total of 3,330 theaters. While it played in that same number of theaters during its sophomore weekend, it earned 64% less than its debut weekend. The following weekend, it was excised from 2,300 theaters. During its fourth weekend, it was dropped from an additional 920. This is a substantial plummet considering the fact that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is playing in 3,017 theaters this week, which is its eighth. Meanwhile, The Odyssey, which is in its 10th week, is playing in 1,546. Additionally, new movies that debuted the same weekend as The Dog Stars are also clocking in with much higher theater numbers. Coyote vs. Acme debuted in 3,575 theaters and is now playing in 3,035, while Buddy debuted in significantly fewer theaters than the Ridley Scott movie (1,277) and is actually now playing in 277 more than when it started (1,543). While all of these movies have been more successful at the box office than The Dog Stars, its overall drop of 3,220 theaters is more than any other major flop this year, though its proportional drop of 96.7% from its debut theater number was bested by the Maggie Gyllenhaal Universal Monsters reimagining The Bride! (97.1%). Below, see how many theaters the most notable big-budget flops of 2026 so far have played in during their first four weekends: Title Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Total Drop % Drop The Bride! 3,304 3,304 708 94 3,210 -97.1% Masters of the Universe 3,677 3,677 2,517 2,090 1,587 -43.2% Supergirl 3,602 3,602 2,584 1,572 2,030 -56.3% Moana 3,875 4,200 4,015 3,010 865 -22.3% One Night Only 3,012 3,012 1,009 112 2,900 -96.3% The Dog Stars 3,330 3,330 1,030 110 3,220 -96.7% While it remains to be seen how many theaters it plays in during its fifth week, both The Bride! and One Night Only were dropped from domestic theaters after four weeks. Considering how closely The Dog Stars' trajectory has hewed to those two titles, it seems entirely likely that a similar fate will befall it. This is corroborated by the fact that Fandango is not currently listing showtimes for the movie beyond Friday in the Los Angeles, New York City, or Chicago areas. If Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars is truly leaving theaters, that will see it departing the North American marketplace with a cumulative domestic total of just $15 million. At the time of writing, it is already ranked outside the domestic Top 50 for the year, landing at No. 68 above just a handful of other underperforming titles, including They Will Kill You ($10.9 million), The Strangers: Chapter 3 ($8.6 million), and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die ($8.4 million). Enjoy ScreenRant's box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check "Box Office" in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more: Sign Up Release Date August 28, 2026 Runtime 119 minutes Director Ridley Scott Writers Mark L. Smith Producers Mark L. Smith, Michael A. Pruss, Ridley Scott, Cliff Roberts