Jacob Elordi is facing online speculation that a celebrity superstition has derailed his latest film.
The 27-year-old actor’s new movie, Ridley Scott’s “The Dog Stars,” pulled in roughly $8 million during its domestic opening weekend after arriving in US theaters on August 28. The disappointing figure has fueled Reddit chatter linking the result to Elordi’s relationship with Kendall Jenner, 29, and reviving talk of the so-called “Kardashian curse.”
The “Kardashian curse” theory has circulated in pop culture since the early 2010s, when relationships between Kim Kardashian and athletes including Kris Humphries and Reggie Bush drew scrutiny from sports media. The idea holds that romantic partners of the Kardashian-Jenner family suffer career or personal setbacks. Over time, social media users began mapping connections between relationship timelines and events like injuries, trades, and slumps in athletic performance.
NBA players have been most frequently tagged in the discussion. Lamar Odom, Tristan Thompson, and Ben Simmons have all been cited in “curse” conversations. Former NBA player Rashad McCants claimed in a 2017 interview that his relationship with Khloé Kardashian contributed to his exit from the league. James Harden, who also dated Khloé, previously said the “media attention” surrounding their relationship had been distracting, though his on-court performance stayed strong throughout.
The theory has no actual evidence behind it. Devin Booker reached the NBA Finals in 2021 while dating Kendall Jenner, a clear counterexample that undermines the pattern.
Kendall herself has pushed back against the narrative. During the 2021 “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” reunion, she fired back at the idea that her family brings misfortune to men.
“What I don’t like about this narrative is that the blame is on us… The men need to take that responsibility,” she said.
The Reddit thread targeting Elordi questioned whether pre-release publicity for “The Dog Stars” had been overshadowed by coverage of his Jenner romance. Some users suggested his media profile had shifted from acting projects to relationship gossip, then interpreted the $8 million opening as fresh proof of the “curse.”
Box-office analysts note that film performance hinges on marketing reach, release date competition, review scores, genre appetite, and dozens of other variables. No evidence connects the “Dog Stars” numbers to Jenner or the couple’s relationship status.
Elordi and Jenner were first linked publicly in early 2023. The Australian actor, known for “Euphoria” and “Saltburn,” has seen his profile rise sharply in recent years alongside increased tabloid interest in his personal life. Scott’s “The Dog Stars,” adapted from Peter Heller’s novel, marks his first major studio lead since that attention intensified.
The “Kardashian curse” label became entrenched in celebrity coverage by the mid-2010s as social media accelerated pattern-seeking around famous relationships. What began as sports-bar talk migrated to Twitter and Reddit, where users now regularly apply it to any partner experiencing a visible setback.
Elordi has not publicly responded to the speculation. Jenner’s 2021 comments remain her most direct statement on the topic.
The “Dog Stars” opening positions the film as one of the season’s softer commercial launches for a director with a mixed theatrical track record in recent years.