Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049 has failed to set the box office alight in its opening weekend, grossing approximately $81.5 million worldwide across the Friday to Sunday period.
Tracking for the movie, which reportedly cost between $150 million and $185 million, had suggested a domestic opening weekend of around $50 million; however, despite a strong start on Friday, ticket sales declined over the weekend for a North American opening of between $31.2 million and $31.5 million.
Internationally, Blade Runner 2049 pulled in $50.2 million from 63 markets, including $8 million from the UK, the film’s top market outside the States. It debuted in first place in 45 of the 63 markets, but lost out to the Stephen King adaptation It in others.
Given the film’s hefty price tag, Alcon Entertainment, Warner Bros. and Sony are probably reconsidering those sequels Ridley Scott has planned… although box office underperformance doesn’t seem to have deterred the filmmaker from continuing his Alien saga.
SEE ALSO: Read our ★★★★★ review of Blade Runner 2049 here
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 is set for release on October 6th and sees Harrison Ford reprising the role of Rick Deckard alongside Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Jared Leto and Edward James Olmos.