Brad Pitt's Newest Thriller Suffers Massive Theater Drop After Underwhelming Box Office Run

Published Oct 23, 2026, 9:16 PM EDT

Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant.

Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. 

Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show.

Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far.

She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism.

During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it.

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

Brad Pitt's new thriller is experiencing a major drop after a disappointing box office run.

Directed by David Ayer, Heart of the Beast stars Pitt as James Belmont, a former Special Forces soldier who becomes stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. Accompanied only by his military dog, Odin, his character must survive the dangerous environment and harsh conditions of the area while attempting to escape. The film also features J.K. Simmons (Watkins) and Anna Lambe (Amber).

Now, the survival thriller is experiencing a major loss in theaters, despite positive audience reception. Although the movie did not flop, its performance at the box office was not up to par with what is expected for a film of its caliber. The Paramount Pictures release has lost around 1,200 theaters since its debut, marking a substantial decline.

According to IMDB Pro, Heart of the Beast is now playing in 2,260 domestic theaters, down from its original 3,481 locations. This major blow arrives nearly a month after the movie debuted on September 25, 2026, when it delivered an underwhelming opening weekend, grossing $50 million worldwide against a budget of $82 million.

At the time of this article's publication, Heart of the Beast had earned approximately $156.8 million worldwide, including nearly $59.7 million domestically and $97.2 million internationally. While not a horrible number, the film has made back 1.9 times its production costs. However, that figure does not account for marketing expenses or the portion of ticket revenue retained by theaters, making its actual profitability very uncertain.

While Heart of the Beast wasn't exactly a commercial success, the audience reception has been very optimistic. The movie currently holds a 95% verified audience score, alongside an 85% critics' rating. The strong viewer response suggests that the movie has connected with viewers despite its more modest box office performance.

However, the major drop in theater presence could be due to more elements than just its box office numbers. There has been a massive lineup of major films being released within the past few weeks. Whalefall, Street Fighter, and Clayface are all recent releases that are playing in theaters now, and the presence of these films could be another reason why Heart of the Beast is being pushed out of so many locations.

Development on Heart of the Beast began in March 2024 when Ayer was brought aboard to direct the survival thriller. The film was based on a screenplay by Cameron Alexander that appeared on the 2017 Black List, a yearly collection of scripts that have not been produced yet. Alexander also served as an executive producer for the movie. Damien Chazelle and Olivia Hamilton produced the film under their Wild Chickens Productions banner, while Paramount Pictures handled distribution of the project.