Last month, Uwe Boll, a director infamous for his subpar video game adaptations, took to social media to criticize the Borderlands movie for its financial shortcomings. Boll, whose films have frequently been derided, seized the opportunity to boast about his own work, pointing out that his R-rated movies had earned more than Borderlands. He highlighted the film’s drop from an R rating to PG-13 as a factor in its commercial failure.
Despite Boll’s gloating, the Borderlands film eventually managed to pull in nearly $30 million by the end of its theatrical run. This figure is notably higher than the earnings of any of Boll’s films, which never achieved such financial success. Boll’s remarks about the film seemed hasty, given his own history of struggling box office performances.
In a twist of irony, Boll launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance a sequel to his 2007 film Postal, which had also been a commercial flop. The original Postal movie grossed less than $150,000 globally, and Boll aimed to revive the franchise with Postal 2. However, the campaign failed spectacularly, raising only $850 from 16 backers before being shut down.
The failed crowdfunding effort was a significant setback for Boll, who had hoped to capitalize on the fan interest in his Postal series. The campaign was ultimately canceled with a message stating that all pledges were refunded due to a lack of support. Boll’s attempt to fund the sequel underscores the difficulty he faces in securing financial backing for his projects.
Meanwhile, the Borderlands franchise, led by Gearbox Software’s Randy Pitchford, continues to progress with the anticipated release of Borderlands 4. This development highlights the stark contrast between the ongoing success of the Borderlands series and the challenges facing Boll’s efforts to revive his own troubled projects.
