Despite its strong initial opening night, "Blade Runner 2049" did not follow through with its projected box office revenue for the US and has been considered by many as a box office flop.
The weekend revenue for the belated sequel only gained $32.750 million during its Friday-Sunday domestic debut, quite a far cry from its projected $45-$50 million weekend goal. This is distressing news for a movie that has a price tag of $155+ million.
Forbes has predicted that at best, the film will only gain a domestic total of $110-$120 million. When factoring in the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok," another science-fiction (sci-fi) flick, a lower total prediction of $80-$85 million was even suggested by the website.
People expecting the international release of the film to carry most of the revenue weight will be disappointed as Forbes also pointed out that "Blade Runner 2049" only gained $50 million from 61 percent of its overseas showings. It also predicted that once the movie reaches 100 percent of its foreign market, it would only gain up to $84 million.
This was all despite the critical acclaim that the "Blade Runner 2049" has garnered, even scoring an 88 percent "certified fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience nearly equally liked it as much as the critics, scoring 83 percent on the audience front, with both praising the film's cinematography and scope, as well as how it handled the tropes popularized by its predecessor.
As such, IndieWire suggested that while "Blade Runner 2049," like "Blade Runner," may not be a box office success, it can still be relevant by becoming a cult classic like its predecessor. The website also posited that what the film lacks in commercial outcome, it can make up for in cultural impact. The said financial shortcoming of the movie will seemingly not dissuade director Denis Villeneuve or actors Ryan Gosling (Officer K) and Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard) from enjoying the acclaim that the film has brought.
One can also find the sequel running a parallel to its predecessor where Jeff Goldstein domestic distribution president of Warner Brothers, has stated that "The audience for ['2049'] was narrower than we anticipated," a statement similar to the one made by the producers of the original "Blade Runner" back in 1982.
"Blade Runner 2049" was first released on Oct. 4 and is still available in theaters worldwide.
