Blade Runner 2049 seemed like a surefire hit, with two Hollywood favorites sharing the lead,
tons of critical praise, and a respectable box office forecast.
However, the long-awaited sequel brought in just $31.5 million on opening weekend — which
is a pretty dismal return compared to its $150 million production budget.
So, why did this film fizzle out in the theaters?
Let's took a look at what went wrong with Blade Runner 2049.
Run time
Blade Runner 2049 comes in at a whopping 163 minutes, which seems to have been just long
enough to dissuade casual viewers from a trip to the theater.
While sci-fi fans might still be willing to spend that much time with the movie, those
just looking for a fun time would probably be more in the mood for something a bit on
the shorter side.
Not only that, but the number of showings each theater can host per day is significantly
lessened by its length, which can lead to a loss of revenue.
Overall, when it comes to movies, longer isn't always better.
Sequel slump
Hollywood's all about reboots and sequels, but usually the underlying property is something
that was successful the first time around.
While 1982's Blade Runner has since amassed an intense cult following, it's easy to forget
that it didn't actually perform very well during its brief theatrical run.
Overshadowed by E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, the film stayed in theaters for just five
weeks and earned only $32.9 million…
just about $82 million if you adjust for inflation.
And not only was the first film only mildly popular upon release, but there's since been
several different cuts released on video and DVD, like the "Final Cut" released in 2007.
All those cuts are confusing to casual fans, and meant those potential moviegoers for 2049
had to decide between watching one of at least three different versions of the original before
heading out to the theater.
That's a whole lotta homework, especially for a weekend.
Bloated budget
Given the lackluster initial interest in the original, it was a risky move for Warner Bros.
to invest so much capital in the sequel, 25 years later.
1982's Blade Runner was made on a big budget for its time, costing a reported $30 million
to make, which translates to about $76 million today.
But Blade Runner 2049 is estimated to have cost twice that amount, after tax rebates.
That might've allowed for gorgeous visuals and all, but it was also a risky investment
for a movie that was 25 years overdue and leaning on a property that wasn't a financial
runaway to begin with.
Vague marketing
One common thread among recent box office flops is marketing that focuses on visuals
over substance.
Thanks to big bombs like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and Ghost in the
Shell, audiences have grown wary of bad films being disguised with sweeping camera shots
and a big budget.
While this didn't end up being the case with Blade Runner 2049, the trailers might not
have drummed as much buzz as they could have thanks to how they highlight the movie's looks
over its plot.
Of course, the entire plot of the movie itself was a spoiler, but keeping details under wraps
did them no favors in terms of bringing in viewers unfamiliar with the source material.
"Too many questions."
Too faithful
There's a lot of complicated mythology at play in the Blade Runner films.
Many fans and critics were delightfully surprised to see how well the sequel dealt with it,
with the film answering and expanding on some of the deeper questions asked in the original.
However, that type of introspection and that deep connection to the mythology makes it
daunting for the unconverted.
The mythos of Blade Runner is so deep and complicated that it can keep casual viewers
at arm's length — and 2049 may have stuck too close to the source material to have the
kind of mass appeal it was aiming for.
Intense competition
Blade Runner 2049 had trouble attracting young audiences, and that may be in part thanks
to its R rating.
After years of shying away from adult-oriented fare, studios have been more willing to embrace
it lately — in fact, it seems like those films have started flooding the marketplace.
But 2049 had to stand up against R-rated competition like the still-popular It, American Assassin,
and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, all of which were much easier to digest than Blade Runner.
Going for a less strict rating would have helped to cut out some of the competition
— and likely wouldn't have seriously cut into the film's quality considering the movie
is fairly tame for its R-rating.
What now?
Blade Runner 2049, like many a domestic flop, now turns to the international box office
for salvation.
The movie brought in $50.2 million overseas during its debut, just about on par with expectations,
although not enough to make up for its domestic failure.
The movie's biggest hope lies in Asian market releases, which come later in October and
November.
Nations like South Korea and China are more friendly to movies with big-budget visuals,
so if the film is able to bring in big bucks overseas, it could still be profitable.
And while Hollywood is a business, even if the film's receipts aren't as strong as the
studio might've hoped, the movie definitely has cult favorite potential, just like its
predecessor.
So who knows?
We might just be seeing a third Blade Runner installment drop...in another 25 years.
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