“The Dog Stars” has struggled to make much of an impact at the Australian box office, opening in fourth place.
Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic thriller earned just $623,000 on opening weekend (Thursday, August 27th – Sunday, August 30th).
It opened behind “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which remained comfortably at No. 1 with $3.02 million in its fifth weekend, “The Odyssey” with $2.24 million in its seventh weekend, and “Insidious: Out of the Further,” which added $747,000 in its second weekend for a running total of $2.28 million.
The local result follows a bruising US opening for the Disney and 20th Century release, which debuted to just US$8 million and landed in fifth place. With a production budget north of US$80 million, the film is expected to lose tens of millions during its theatrical run and could rank among Scott’s biggest box office misfires.
“The Dog Stars,” starring Jacob Elordi alongside Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney and Benedict Wong, has also struggled to win over audiences and critics, currently holding a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Back in Australia, the weekend’s other major new entry, “André Rieu’s 2026 Summer Concert: Viva Maastricht!,” opened just behind in fifth with $606,000. “Spa Weekend” slipped to sixth with $472,000, while “The End of Oak Street” fell from fourth to seventh with $408,000. “Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-ups” debuted at No. 8 with $375,000.
The 25th anniversary re-release of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” followed at No. 9 with $352,000, while “Bethlehem Kudumba Unit” rounded out the top 10 with $313,000, up 3% from the previous weekend.
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