Although it's probably safe to say that most of us were anxiously awaiting the release of BLADE RUNNER 2049, that anticipation didn't exactly turn into a sizeable box-office success for the long-awaited sequel. At the moment, the film is sitting at a $252 million worldwide box-office gross, but the majority of that has come international markets, with the domestic box-office contributing just $89 million. For a film which was so beloved by critics, BLADE RUNNER 2049 director Denis Villeneuve told Yahoo Entertainment that he's still working his head around its struggles at the box-office.
The thing is that the movie is doing very well abroad, I mean, in Europe, strong success, in United States, it performed great in New York and big cities. Honestly, I don’t know because we had the best critics. I’m still digesting it. I had the best critics of my life, I’ve never had a movie welcome like that, okay? At the same time, the box office in the United States was a disappointment, that’s the truth. Because those movies are expensive, and it will still make tons of money but not enough. I think the thing is that it’s maybe because people were not familiar enough with the universe, and the fact that the movie’s long. I don’t know, it’s still a mystery to me.
The general movie-going public may not have been quite so enthused by a lengthy sequel to a sci-fi cult classic, but Denis Villeneuve believes that it may also be a matter of history repeating itself. Ridley Scott's original BLADE RUNNER didn't perform all that well upon release either, and it was only as time went on that the film began to develop its reputation. "That’s the first thing one of my sons told me: “Papa you honor the first movie until the very end.” Because the first movie had the same fate," Villeneuve said. "The original Blade Runner when it came out wasn’t a success, and through time it became was it is today. I was not looking for that. But what I really am at peace with is the fact that the hard core fans that love the first movie really welcome this one, and that for me it means the world."
What do you folks think? Why didn't BLADE RUNNER 2049 make a bigger connection with audiences and will its legacy grow over time?
BLADE RUNNER 2049 is still playing in theaters.