All articles tagged with #the dog stars
Spider-Man: Brand New Day repeats as August’s No. 1 at the domestic box office, pushing its total toward the unadjusted North American record held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Coyote vs. Acme opens with about $13–14 million to compete for No. 2 with The Odyssey, while The Dog Stars enters with around $7 million amid mixed reviews.
Disney/20th Century’s The Dog Stars opened to $8 million domestic from about 3,330 theaters, a fifth-place, underwhelming debut for an $80M+ production; Spider-Man: Brand New Day remained the weekend’s top draw with $22.2 million and a domestic total near $891 million, as The Odyssey ($14.6M) rose to second, followed by Coyote vs. Acme ($13.5M) in third and Insidious: Out of the Further ($10.1M) in fourth. The results cap a lukewarm close to summer box office.
The piece reports on rumors that Ridley Scott blamed Paul Mescal for Gladiator II’s underperformance, arguing Mescal wasn’t 'masculine enough' and linking it to Mescal’s other projects; Scott’s reps deny the claim, but the thinkpiece uses the debate to explore evolving notions of masculinity in modern cinema and even suggests Jason Statham as a potential Gladiator III lead.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day topped the weekend with about $22.2 million, bringing its domestic total toward $891 million; The Odyssey landed in second with $14.6 million, Coyote vs. Acme opened third with $13.5 million, Insidious: Out of the Further was fourth with $10.1 million, and The Dog Stars stumbled to fifth with an $8 million opening. The Dog Stars cost over $80 million to produce and is expected to be a sizable misfire, while Spider-Man’s performance puts it on track to potentially become the top domestic grosser after surpassing $936 million.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day led the weekend with $22.2 million domestic (about $891.5 million lifetime), while Coyote vs. Acme opened to $15.4 million to take No. 2; The Dog Stars debuted at $8 million, with The Odyssey at $14.3 million and Insidious: Out of the Further at $10.1 million in the mix. The frame totaled roughly $97 million as the summer box office winds down, and Spider-Man’s global haul climbed to about $2.332 billion, placing it fourth all-time worldwide behind Avatar: The Way of Water (about $2.334B) with Titanic around $2.26B in the ranks.
Disney/20th Century’s The Dog Stars opened to just $8 million domestically from 3,330 theaters, finishing fifth as Spider-Man: Brand New Day dominated the weekend; the post-apocalyptic thriller, produced for over $80 million, has drawn tepid reviews (40% Rotten Tomatoes) and a CinemaScore of C+, signaling a costly misfire for director Ridley Scott.
Ridley Scott relies on a trusted, decades-long team for The Dog Stars, including editors Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo, production designer Chris Seagers, casting director Kate Rhodes James, and key VFX leads, to tightly choreograph a film that blends romance with darker tones. The crew emphasizes on-set practicality, swift multi-camera work, and artful pacing, aided by needle-drops like Hozier’s Like Real People Do to nail the opening mood, with Hig’s journey and his dog Jasper at the center. This collaborative approach helps keep the project on schedule and within budget as The Dog Stars hits theaters.
Euronews Culture’s Film of the Week verdict labels Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars slow and derivative, failing to convincingly blend introspection with action. Despite Erik Messerschmidt’s striking cinematography and Josh Brolin’s memorable goatee, Jacob Elordi’s Hig can’t anchor an underdeveloped story, leaving the post-apocalyptic tale uneventful and lacking in depth. The film is currently in cinemas.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day extends its August dominance with an estimated $22 million weekend, bringing its domestic total to about $891 million and narrowing its gap to The Force Awakens’ unadjusted North American record; Warner Animation Group’s Coyote vs. Acme opens around $13–14 million in 3,573 venues to become its biggest opening and earns glowing early buzz (Rotten Tomatoes 94% critics, 97% audience; CinemaScore A); Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars underperforms with roughly $7 million in its opening weekend amid weak reviews.
This weekend’s movie slate centers on The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott’s post‑apocalyptic drama starring Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley in theaters, alongside the buzzy live‑action/animated Coyote vs. Acme. At home, you can rent Her Private Hell (and Motor City); and for streaming, check Netflix for The Whisper Man, with Desert Warrior arriving on Hulu as another option.
In an IndieWire interview, Ridley Scott explains how Kubrick’s The Shining inspired the eerie Grand Junction airport sequence in The Dog Stars, pairing unsettling beauty with post-apocalyptic horror, while treating Hig and Bangley’s dynamic as a playful, bickering “Odd Couple” duo; the film, starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, opens August 28, 2026.
Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic drama The Dog Stars opened to a tepid 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, his lowest score in about 12 years, with critics divided: some praise mood and performances, while others call it derivative and low-energy. Guardian, Variety and The Independent were negative, while The Evening Standard and The Hollywood Reporter offered more muted or favorable notes.
IndieWire’s review of Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars grades the film a C, calling it a dour, inert post-apocalyptic drama where Jacob Elordi’s restrained performance can’t compensate for a meandering script, underwhelming action, and a romance that lacks chemistry, despite a handful of capable visuals and mood.
Deadline’s review praises Jacob Elordi’s Hig as the emotional center of Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars, a slower, character-driven postapocalyptic thriller based on Peter Heller’s novel. Set in a virus-ravaged 2035 Colorado, the film pairs Hig with Bangley (Josh Brolin) and later Pop and Cima (Guy Pearce, Margaret Qualley) as they navigate danger and search for hope, all anchored by lush cinematography and a fitting score. The pace leans into humanity over spectacle, with strong turns from the supporting cast and a few standout action moments, culminating in a journey toward Grand Junction that reveals the film’s unusual, contemplative payoff.
Early social-media reactions to Ridley Scott’s post‑apocalyptic drama The Dog Stars praise its visuals and performances from Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin but split on the screenplay, following a London world premiere ahead of the film’s Aug. 28 global release.