Ridley Scott’s The Dogs Stars bombed at the box office in its first weekend in theaters with an estimated global opening of $19.3 million.
It was a rough debut for the Disney and 20th Century Studios picture, which brought Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Josh Brolin to cinemas with their live-action adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 novel. In the first few days since its August 28, 2026, premiere, Scott’s film only managed to land in fifth at the box office with a disappointing $8 million across 3,330 domestic locations and $11.3 million internationally.
“Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars is a riveting, epic thriller set in a world where survival is instinct, but humanity is a choice,” an official synopsis said. “Scott tells the story of Hig (Elordi), a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley (Brolin), has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world until a mysterious radio transmission spurs Hig to venture into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exists.”
There are a number of factors that could have contributed to a soft launch for The Dog Stars despite featuring more than a few notable actors in its cast. Reviews, for example, have not landed in its favor.
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes recorded a “rotten” 41% favorability rating. IGN’s review fell into a similar camp, delivering a 5/10 for Scott’s latest. In our piece, we called it “a post-apocalyptic survival story that’s encased in three layers of emotionally protective bubble wrap with a wild third-act twist.
Audience scores for the film are much higher at 70%. However, that seems to have done little to convince moviegoers to head to theaters to see Elordi and Qualley on the big screen. With Variety reporting it had an $80 million budget, The Dog Stars has a lot of walking to do before it can even sniff at the idea of turning a profit.
The Dog Stars wasn’t the only film making its theatrical debut in the late-August weekend. Coyote vs. Acme made its grand entrance when Ketchup Entertainment brought it to theaters with a domestic haul of $15.46 million, proving that campaigners were willing to show up for the movie they’ve been fighting for. The film’s Looney Tunes-mixed David and Goliath story nearly saw it permanently shelved at Warner Bros. before Ketchup – as well as a horde of online movie fans – swooped in to push for its release.
Now, we’re here, and after landing in second place at the weekend box office, it seems to have all been worth it. Starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, and John Cena, reviews for the cartoons-come-to-life tale have generally been strong, with IGN calling it “amazing” in our 9/10 review.
pic.twitter.com/CEXEs5Pqux
— Dave Green (@dgreenmachine) August 28, 2026
“Coyote vs. Acme shows why Looney Tunes are just as funny now as they’ve ever been,” we said, “with a film that’s an amazingly meta answer to corporate shenanigans.”
You can probably guess which other films landed in the top five. Spider-Man: Brand New Day finished its first month in theaters atop the box office charts once again, with its global total now at a spectacular $2.332 billion. The Odyssey continued its charge, too, coming in third with a worldwide total of $1.55 billion. In fourth was Insidious: Out of the Further, which reached $110.2 million in its second weekend.
The Biggest Movies Coming in 2026
September 2026 isn’t quite set up for the bombshell box office returns we saw in July and August, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a good reason to head to movies. Projects like Practical Magic 2, Runner, Oasis reunion documentary Don’t Look Back in Anger, and The Uprising are just days away from their respective premieres. Heavy hitters like Primtime, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, and Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame re-release are also due out before the end of the month.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).