Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars has reached No. 1 on Prime Video, according to Collider, after finishing its cinema run. The film, which stars Josh Brolin and Jacob Elordi, ended its theatrical run just short of $40 million at the global box office. Now removed from theaters, it is available on video on demand, where Collider reported on November 2 that Dog Stars is the No. 1 movie on Prime Video.
The turnaround is notable because the film did not find a large cinema audience on release. The film opened on August 28, 2026, as Scott’s first science fiction film in almost ten years, since Alien: Covenant in 2017. Mediocre reviews on release left little desire among fans to make the trip to the theater, Collider reported, and the film closed its run well below the level its cast and director might have expected.
What Dog Stars is about
The film is based on the science fiction novel of the same name by Peter Heller, who also produced the film with screenwriter Mark L. Smith and director Ridley Scott. The story follows Hig, a young pilot who, with a military survivalist named Bangley, has built an isolated homestead in a brutal post apocalyptic world. A mysterious radio transmission then prompts Hig to venture into the unknown in search of hope and humanity he still believes exists.
The cast also includes Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong. The official synopsis describes the film as a thriller set in a world where survival is instinct but humanity is a choice. On Rotten Tomatoes, Dog Stars earned 41 percent from critics and 69 percent from audiences, a gap that suggests ordinary viewers responded more warmly than reviewers did.
Dog Stars and Ridley Scott’s recent run
Scott came into 2026 after a difficult stretch at the box office. At the end of 2024 he returned to the colosseum for Gladiator II, the legacy sequel to Gladiator, which was not met with the same reception as its predecessor. The film struggled under a $250 million production budget, but it has since become one of the most watched movies of recent years on Paramount Plus, Collider noted.
One year before Gladiator II, Scott reunited with Gladiator veteran Joaquin Phoenix for Napoleon, which also struggled in theaters. The film barely earned back its $200 million budget and is estimated to have been a major loss for the studio. Against that background, Dog Stars was presented as a shot at redemption for the Oscar nominated director, with a return to science fiction after nearly a decade away from the genre.
Why the film found a second audience
The move to video on demand changed the film’s prospects. Viewers who did not go to a theater for Dog Stars can now watch it at home, on Prime Video and Apple TV, without the cost and planning of a cinema trip. Streaming charts reward that kind of low friction choice, and a film with well known names can climb quickly once it appears at the top of a platform’s listings.
The audience score of 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, against 41 percent from critics, may also have helped. A viewer browsing Prime Video sees a science fiction film from a famous director, starring Brolin and Elordi, with an audience score well above its critical score. That combination is often enough to prompt a play, and enough plays can push a title to No. 1 on a platform chart even when its cinema run was quiet.
Dog Stars on streaming now
Collider’s report, published on November 2 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, described Dog Stars as the No. 1 movie in the world on Prime Video. The film is available on video on demand platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV. Its cinema run is over, so streaming is now the main way to see it.
For Scott, the result follows a pattern from Gladiator II: a film that struggled in theaters finding a larger audience at home. The film did not reach $40 million worldwide in cinemas, but its first days on Prime Video put it ahead of every other movie on the service, at least for now.