Summary
Enough time has passed for a commercial review ofUntil Dawn.Labeling the film adaptation of Supermassive Games’ 2015 sleeper-hit video game an underperformer in such a regard won’t be entirely accurate, but tagging it a “success” wouldn’t be quite right either.
Critics didn’t have nice things to say aboutUntil Dawn, giving it a poor C+ on CinemaScore and a 53% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Films such as these aren’t a rare sight in Hollywood, nor should they ordinarily be a death sentence to any franchise or studio…unless it’s the third straight such performance from a particular studio. And that’s the case for PlayStation Productions.
Until Dawn’s Box Office Run Has Stalled, And It Barely Broke Even
A 2.5x Multiplier Lies on the Edges of Profit and Loss
As of this writing,Until Dawnhas grossed $49.6 million globally ($19 million in North America and $29 million overseas), a four-week run that has all but stalled following the arrival ofheavy hitters such asFinal DestinationandLilo and Stitch.
With a 2.5x domestic multiplier from its $8 million opening and a slightly stronger 2.9x multiplier overseas from a $10.1 million debut,Until Dawnhas technically reached break-even status. Factoring in a 3.3x return on its production budget, the film narrowly meets the thresholds of Hollywood accounting mathematics that define financial viability.
It needs reminding the rule of thumb in Hollywood: for a film to be described as profitable, it must earn back at least two-and-a-half times its production budget. This requirement accounts for marketing and other miscellaneous costs not reflected in the production budget.
Until DawnIs a Concerning Trend for PlayStation Productions
Previous Films Share a Similar Story
PlayStation Productions has seenUntil Dawn’s fate play out before. TakeGran Turismo,for example. The 2023 film might sport a respectable 68% Rotten Tomatoes, an A on CinemaScore, and a $121 million global gross, but set against a $60 million production budget, it barely broke even. If 2014’sNeed for Speedcan be termed a box office disappointment upon a $200 million gross against a $65 million budget (a 3.08x multiplier), thenGran Turismois an utter failure. A bittersweet record of one of the lowest U.S. top debuts of 2023—with just $17.4 million—won’t erase it. It’s especially saddening when one bears in mind the incredible popularity of the video game series upon which it is based.
PlayStation Productions has seen better days withUncharted. The 2022 film had a 3.4x multiplier after grossing $407 million against a $120 million budget, but just likeUntil DawnandGran Turismo, critics and fans didn’t love it.
Tweaking The Heart of the Source Material Hurts More Than It Helps
There’s More Than One Example Of Why
When it involves adapting any source material, it’s almost always a case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” Put simply, rigid fidelity to a source material may be interpreted to mean a lack of innovation. On the other hand, deviating from it may anger fans who feel the obvious choice should have been taken. Forvideo-game-to-film-adaptations, the story tends to lean towards the “damned if you don’t" umbrella. In other words, history has proven that with this genre, it’s better to stick with the source material and add a sprinkle of change than to do the reverse.
Unfortunately, PlayStation Productions' titles are trying and failing to strike the right balance.Uncharted, for instance, isn’t even remotely faithful to the four-game series. It features none of the game’s iconic mysteries, puzzles, and narrative arcs. Worse, there’s no Elena at all! Writers cherry-picked flashy moments and tried to reverse-engineer a story around them.
Although not as blatant and pointless asUncharted, writers Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler, and director David F. Sandberg’sdeviation fromUntil Dawn’ssource materialdidn’t please the game’s players. The main premise of a group of teens arriving at a remote cabin in the snowy wilderness is the same, but there’s more emphasis on the particular decision-making and consequence mechanics.
Introducing a respawn mechanic in theUntil Dawnfilm — when the original game is built around the finality of death and the weight of player choice — was a miscalculation from the start. Having Dr. Hill go from Josh’s hallucination to a skin-deep main monster villain is an even worse one.
Until DawnWould Have Benefited From a Small Screen Format
Until Dawncould have found a more fitting home as a limited television series rather than a theatrical release. An eight-episode limited series (the game is roughly as many hours long) with each episode representing an hour before dawn would have allowed for deeper exploration of the game’s signature mechanics, like player choice and consequence. It would also have given the ensemble cast more room for emotional development and relational nuance.
Television is where PlayStation Productions has seen its greatest success thanks to one factor: authenticity.The Last of UsTV showfollows its source material almost beat-for-beat, and is considered a successful example for other video game-to-film adaptations to follow.
Future Projects Should Prioritize Authenticity
This is not to say that deviating from the source material is a guaranteed path to failure. Future adaptations likeGhost of Tsushima,Days Gone,and theResident Evilreboot should remix where due, but they should not shy away from what made the games resonate.Ghost ofTsushima’s cultural statements(like Kurosawa) demand a culturally accurate and visually reverent approach, similar toShogun’s. A newResident Evilfilm with a focus on slow-burning survival horror would appeal to the gaming community much more than previous action-themed adaptations did.
Meaningful adaptation isn’t about copying but about capturing the spirit.Until Dawndid neither.
