Not only is Blade Runner 2049 one of the best films of the year, it may quite possibly be one of the best sci-fi films of all-time, but unfortunately, despite all the acclaim, it's gotten off to a rather sluggish start at the domestic box office.
According to Box Office Mojo, the Denis Villeneuve-directed masterpiece has collected just over $31.5 million for the weekend in the United States, which, while still good enough to win the weekend, is far short of the initial $45-55 million opening projections. Internationally, the Ryan Gosling/Harrison Ford-starrer performed as expected, earning an estimated $50.2 million for the weekend, which brings its current worldwide haul to $81.7 million.
The sequel has already surpassed the entire box office run of the 1982 classic, but considering the new film's reported $150 million - possibly $185 million - budget, it's going to be quite an uphill battle as it attempts to leave its mark at the box office before juggernauts Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League storm into theaters next month. Luckily, the film will have a relatively uninterrupted run through October as no big-budget films on the same caliber as 2049 are scheduled to release until Ragnarok on November 3.
Following its debut, box office experts are now predicting that the film's box office run may be similar in nature to Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow, which also didn't get off to a great start, but due to exceptional reviews and a strong word-of-mouth, managed to have some of the longest legs of 2014, ultimately crossing the $100 million mark in the States and over $370 million worldwide, which, combined with strong home video sales, led Warner Bros. to give the go-ahead to a sequel.
Additionally, the film has yet to open in South Korea (October 12), Japan (October 27), and China (November 10), so all hope is not yet lost like tears in the rain.
As for the rest of the domestic box office, this weekend's other big opener The Mountain Between Us debuted in second ($10.1M domestic weekend, $13.7 worldwide total), followed by It in third ($9.65M domestic weekend, $603.7M worldwide total), My Little Pony: The Movie in fourth ($8.8M domestic weekend, $12.6 worldwide total), Kingsman: The Golden Circle in fifth ($8.1M domestic weekend, $253.5M worldwide total), and Tom Cruise's American Made in sixth ($8.07M domestic weekend, $98.5M worldwide total).
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Blade Runner 2049 features:
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Ryan Gosling as LAPD Officer K
Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard
Ana de Armas as Joi
Jared Leto as Niander Wallace
Robin Wright as Lieutenant Joshi
Dave Bautista as Sapper Morton
Mackenzie Davis in an undisclosed role
Sylvia Hoeks as Luv
Lennie James in an undisclosed role
Carla Juri in an undisclosed role
Edward James Olmos as Gaff
Barkhad Abdi in an undisclosed role
Hiam Abbass in an undisclosed role
David Dastmalchian in an undisclosed role
Blade Runner 2049 replicates into theaters October 6