Borderlands director: movie failed because it was forced to cut content for PG-13 – Game News

Director of Borderlands movieEli Roth, said that the film Borderlands failed because of interference from the studio, causing the work to lose its identity and no longer really suit any audience group.

Famous for horror movies with high levels of violence such as Cabin Fever, Hostel and The Green InfernoRoth was once considered a suitable choice to adapt the game franchise Borderlands – which is also famous for its dark humor and of course… violence!

However, the end result was completely contrary to expectations. Borderlands grossed only about 33 million USD globally, while the production cost was reported to be about 115 million USD, not including about 30 million USD for marketing and distribution.

The film also received extremely negative reactions from critics. When first released, Borderlands once had a 0% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, before later increasing to 10%.

In an interview with VarietyRoth believes that the important reason lies in the fact that studio leaders asked to cut down on content intended for adults to watch, so that the film could achieve a PG-13 rating when released in theaters.

According to Roth, as projects get bigger, studios tend to be more cautious about risk. This especially affects filmmakers who pursue a different style and aren’t afraid to push the envelope.

For BorderlandsRoth believes that the film ultimately falls into a state of “not belonging to anyone”. This is not a film for children, but it tries to reach too many audience groups at once.

For game fans, the problem is even more obvious when the film cannot maintain the level of violence that this audience group expects. Roth argues that the film ended up being “a product that sits between many audiences” but doesn’t really satisfy any of them.

Roth said he chose to release the new horror film independently Ice Cream Man. The work will also be released without age classification, to avoid the limitations he encountered during the production process. Borderlands.

According to Borderlands movie directorthe essence of horror films lies in making the audience feel uncomfortable, pushing boundaries and creating “provocative” experiences. However, this can become difficult when working with major studios, as they often want the final product to be accepted by a wide audience.

Roth’s comments partly mirrored the initial reactions Borderlands. Many reviews criticized the film for significantly reducing the violence and personality inherent to the game brand, making the work “lifeless”.

With low sales and negative review scores, Borderlands is considered one of the notable cases of game film adaptations failing in recent years.

According to Roth, trying to turn a franchise aimed at an adult audience into a PG-13 movie contributed to the work losing its core audience.