Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
The Dog Stars, 20th Century Fox’s post-apocalypse blockbuster blunder, bombed at the box office this weekend with just $19.3M US opening weekend.
It was a dismal start for the Ridley Scott directed, Jacob Elordi-led feature, which Variety estimated cost $80 million US to produce. The movie was one of the most underwhelming openings for a mainstream Hollywood release in 2026 — a year that is in no way short of disappointing films, but that has also seen an unexpected streak of successes.
The movie follows a group of people attempting to survive a post-apocalyptic America after a catastrophic, society-ending pandemic. Its weak showing was forecast shortly before the film debuted. An adaptation of Peter Heller’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, critics roundly pilloried the film for its slow pace, cliche genre stylings and bizarre finale.
The Dog Stars is just the latest in a series of other misses from director Ridley Scott. The Alien creator’s last three movies have now been misses at the box office. Napoleon, a retelling of France’s infamous emperor; and Gladiator 2, a follow-up to the smash 2000 hit, both commanded surprisingly low numbers.
The Dog Stars‘ poor turnout put it in league with a number of other flops this year: DC tentpole Supergirl managed a meagre $125 million US off a reported $175 million budget, The Bride earned roughly $24 million US from a $90 million US budget, and Moana drew roughly $309 million US from a $250 million US budget.
But despite a difficult period for the film industry, those numbers can’t be entirely blamed on audiences not showing up. Hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, Michael and Toy Story 5 have buoyed 2026 to what may be a banner year; one which numerous outlets have forecast may amount to the best since the start of the pandemic.
When it comes to what’s driving that upturn, it generally seems to be following a clear trend.
Unlike recent years, when the domestic box office was dominated almost entirely by sequels and popular franchises like Marvel and Star Wars, the biggest earners in 2026 include a larger share of original or standalone films — suggesting audiences are responding to a broader range of theatrical releases.
In general, a stronger and more varied slate of films including low-budget sensations like Backrooms and Obsession, non-franchise successes like Project Hail Mary — and even last week’s surprise smash, the anti-capitalist Coyote vs. Acme — have all helped drive box-office growth this year.
Domestic box-office revenue in the U.S. reached $6.2 billion US through Aug. 2. That’s up 15 per cent from the same period last year, according to media analytics firm Rentrak. In 2019, box office sales topped $7 billion US at the same point in the year.
The English-language Canadian box office akso saw strong gains in 2026, led by narratively unique performers like Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, undertone, Little Lorraine and Mile End Kicks.
According to Telefilm Canada’s latest Review of Canadian Moviegoing and Distribution, box office gross increased nearly 180 per cent in the first two quarters of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
After being shelved by Warner Bros. for three years, Coyote vs Acme has finally arrived in theatres. In the live-action and animated comedy, Wile E. Coyote take the Acme Corporation to court over its faulty products that derailed his pursuit of the Road Runner. The film stars Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor.
A Looney Tunes classic is hitting theatres Friday, with the part live action, part live animation reinventing the beloved cartoon of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.
By the end of December — when Dune 3 and Avengers: Doomsday hit theatres — that could catapult 2026 to a $10 billion US year according to Variety. That box-office increase has not extended to The Dog Stars, even though it’s also an offering that’s not based on a franchise.
However, its trajectory may point even more clearly toward what audiences are searching for. Most 2026 success stories have either courted controversy for their subject matter, or how they stretched and tested storytelling norms.
The Dog Stars sits closer to other poor performers like Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day or Spielberg-clone The End of Oak Street, which were all criticized for resting their films too centrally on conventional, if nostalgic, storytelling styles.
While harkening back to nostalgia may have been enough to bring in the crowds before, it seems more and more audiences are searching for something new.
