In an unexpected turn, Denis Villeneuve’s big-budget sequel Blade Runner 2049 is showing disappointing results in its box-office debut.
The long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s cult 1982 sequel grossed $12.7 million Friday from 4,058 theaters for a weekend debut in the $30 million-$35 million range, well behind expectations.
Made by Alcon, Warner, and Sony, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult classic takes place several decades after the original, with Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard, the former blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. Ryan Gosling plays LAPD Officer K, who tracks down Deckard to help him take down a new enemy (Jared Leto).
The supporting cast includes Dave Bautista, Robin Wright and Ana de Armas.
Male and Older Viewers
The movie, with running time of 163 minutes, is skewing notably male (71 percent) and older, with 63 percent of ticket buyers over the age of 35.
Blade Runner 2049, garnering strong reviews and an A- CinemaScore, will need to do big business worldwide after costing $150 million to produce.
The movie is opening in almost every international market this weekend, save for China, Japan and South Korea.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Blade Runner earned roughly $6.8 million from its first foreign markets for a projected $48 million-$52 million foreign debut.
