Ridley Scott’s latest big-screen gamble has hit a major roadblock. The Dog Stars, the post-apocalyptic thriller starring Jacob Elordi, opened to just $8 million from 3,330 domestic locations, enough for fifth place during its opening weekend but nowhere near what a film with a production budget above $80 million needs.
The weak debut puts the Disney and 20th Century release among the weekend’s biggest disappointments. The film has also struggled to win over either critics or moviegoers, sitting at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and earning a C+ CinemaScore from opening-weekend audiences. With those early reactions and a modest launch, The Dog Stars now faces a difficult theatrical run.
The result is especially notable because Scott has spent decades making large-scale films that can turn ambitious concepts into major theatrical events. His résumé includes Alien, Gladiator and The Martian, but his latest release is now being compared with one of his more recent commercial setbacks, The Last Duel.
The Dog Stars Faces a Costly Theatrical Run
The Dog Stars follows Hig, played by Elordi, a lonely survivor living in a world devastated by an unspecified catastrophe. His closest companion is a dog, but his isolated existence changes after he picks up a mysterious broadcast signal.
Instead of ignoring the transmission, Hig becomes determined to find its source. The journey gives the movie its central mystery while placing its protagonist in a dangerous post-apocalyptic landscape. Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney and Benedict Wong also appear in the cast, giving the film a considerably larger ensemble around Elordi.
The problem for the studio is that an $8 million opening represents a steep uphill climb for a movie that cost more than $80 million to produce. Marketing and distribution expenses are separate from the production budget, meaning the eventual financial gap could become considerably larger if the film cannot generate strong legs in the coming weeks.
Scott has experienced a similar problem before. His 2021 historical drama The Last Duel, also released by 20th Century, opened to only $4.7 million domestically against a reported production budget of around $100 million. That film received considerably stronger reviews, however, making The Dog Stars‘ combination of a weak opening and mixed audience response particularly difficult.
Scott remains one of Hollywood’s most accomplished filmmakers, but box office performance has varied significantly throughout his career. His biggest commercial success came with The Martian, which reached approximately $630 million worldwide and earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The Dog Stars is now facing a very different trajectory.
Spider-Man Continues to Dominate
While The Dog Stars struggled to find an audience, Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day continued to control the domestic box office. The superhero movie brought in another $22.2 million through Sunday, representing a relatively modest 44% decline from the previous weekend.
Its domestic total has now reached an enormous $891 million, putting the movie within striking distance of a historic milestone. Once its domestic gross passes $936 million, Brand New Day will overtake Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the highest-grossing movie in domestic box office history.
That achievement would put the Spider-Man movie on another potentially unprecedented path. If its run continues long enough, it could become the first film to cross the $1 billion mark from North American ticket sales alone.
Universal’s The Odyssey also maintained its impressive run, collecting $14.6 million during its seventh weekend. Christopher Nolan’s Greek epic has now reached approximately $564 million domestically, demonstrating considerable staying power several weeks after its release.
The horror sequel Insidious: Out of the Further occupied fourth place with $10.1 million in its second weekend, a 60% decline from its opening frame. Its domestic total has reached $43 million, but the movie has a major advantage working in its favor: its reported production budget was only around $18 million.
That makes the Insidious result look considerably healthier than the opening for The Dog Stars. Even with a substantial second-weekend drop, the horror film has already generated a domestic gross more than twice its production cost, before accounting for marketing and the international market.
Coyote vs. Acme Finds Its Second Chance
Another unusual story from the weekend belongs to Coyote vs. Acme, which opened in third place with an estimated $13.5 million from 3,575 screens. The live-action and animation hybrid reached theaters only after an unusually complicated journey.
Warner Bros. originally abandoned the movie in a tax-credit decision, triggering anger across parts of the filmmaking community. Ketchup Entertainment eventually acquired the title in March 2025 and gave the long-delayed project a theatrical release.
The movie puts Wile E. Coyote in an unexpected position: instead of endlessly chasing the Road Runner, he takes Acme Corporation to court after its products repeatedly fail during his pursuit. Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzmán, P.J. Byrne and John Early headline the cast, with Dave Green directing from a screenplay by Samy Burch.
Its $13.5 million opening is not a blockbuster number, but the circumstances surrounding the release make the result more complicated than a conventional studio opening. Unlike The Dog Stars, which arrived as a major new release from Disney and 20th Century, Coyote vs. Acme had already survived a long battle simply to reach movie theaters.
Disney, meanwhile, has had a mixed summer overall. Toy Story 5 became a major hit with $1.12 billion worldwide, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 reached $692 million. At the same time, Moana and The Mandalorian and Grogu performed less impressively relative to their production costs.
The studio still has a potentially enormous release waiting later in the year with Avengers: Doomsday. That upcoming Marvel event could quickly change the conversation around Disney’s overall 2026 box office performance.
For The Dog Stars, however, the immediate challenge is much simpler: the movie needs audiences to show up in substantially greater numbers. A fifth-place debut of $8 million leaves little room for error, particularly when the film is competing against established blockbusters with much stronger momentum.
Scott’s latest movie may still find an audience through international markets, premium formats and its post-apocalyptic premise, but its domestic opening has already made the theatrical road considerably harder. After 18 years since The Martian became one of Scott’s biggest commercial triumphs, The Dog Stars now has a very different box office story to tell.
The Dog Stars Box Office: 6 Questions Answered
How much did The Dog Stars make in its opening weekend?
The Dog Stars earned approximately $8 million domestically during its opening weekend. It played across 3,330 locations and finished fifth at the domestic box office.
What is the budget of The Dog Stars?
The movie reportedly cost more than $80 million to produce. Its $8 million domestic opening therefore puts significant pressure on the film to perform strongly in subsequent weeks and international markets.
Who stars in The Dog Stars?
Jacob Elordi leads the film as Hig, a survivor living in a post-apocalyptic world. The cast also includes Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney and Benedict Wong.
Who directed The Dog Stars?
The movie was directed by Ridley Scott, the filmmaker behind Alien, Gladiator and The Martian. Scott’s previous major box office success came with The Martian, which grossed approximately $630 million worldwide.
Which movie topped the domestic box office?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day remained at No. 1, adding $22.2 million during the weekend. Its domestic total has reached approximately $891 million.
How did Coyote vs. Acme perform?
Coyote vs. Acme opened in third place with an estimated $13.5 million from 3,575 screens. The movie reached theaters after Warner Bros. abandoned its original release plans and Ketchup Entertainment later picked up the film.
