This Iconic Sci-Fi Franchise Has Two Masterpieces, and They Both Flopped at the Box Office

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A truly exceptional science fiction film initially failed to connect with audiences in theaters. Surprisingly, its highly-regarded sequel, directed by a renowned sci-fi filmmaker, also underperformed at the box office. This isn’t uncommon for the genre; many great sci-fi movies struggle to find a theatrical audience without the support of an established franchise. A prime example is John Carpenter’s The Thing, which was a significant flop that impacted Carpenter’s career, but later became celebrated as a classic sci-fi horror film.

Interestingly, this situation happened twice in the same year. While audiences were enthusiastically enjoying E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – a hugely popular, family-friendly science fiction film – two other sci-fi movies, The Thing and Blade Runner, both failed to make much money at the box office. Despite their initial lack of success, all three films are now considered classics.

Blade Runner Became a Masterpiece After Flopping at the Box Office

Ridley Scott established himself as a talented science fiction director in 1979 with the release of Alien. The film was a hit and launched a successful series of movies. Three years later, he directed Blade Runner, a more thought-provoking sci-fi film, but it wasn’t a commercial success. Blade Runner was a futuristic film noir about a special law enforcement officer—a Blade Runner—whose job was to track down and retire rogue clones, known as Replicants, who were trying to live like humans.

I’ll never forget Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner. He was tasked with hunting down these incredibly advanced beings, Replicants, who’d come back to Earth. But the movie really stuck with me because it made you question what it means to be human. Especially with the final Replicant, Roy Batty, played brilliantly by Rutger Hauer. Seeing Roy face his end and talk about all he’d experienced – it was a truly powerful moment, and it completely changed how Deckard – and honestly, how I – thought about life and what makes us human.

Despite a relatively modest $30 million budget, Blade Runner didn’t perform well in theaters. Considering the director’s success with Alien and the involvement of a Star Wars actor, many predicted it would be a blockbuster. However, it struggled due to competition from popular films like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Over time, Blade Runner became widely recognized as a science fiction masterpiece. Its popularity was also sustained by the studio’s repeated releases of different versions – including the Workprint, International Cut, Director’s Cut, and ultimately, the Final Cut. With critics giving it an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences an even more enthusiastic 91%, the film’s acclaimed status is well-deserved.

Blade Runner 2099 Also Failed Despite Original’s Reputation

The highly anticipated sequel to Blade Runner finally came out in 2017. Blade Runner 2049 arrived 35 years after the original, and benefited from the direction of Denis Villeneuve and the return of Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard. The film also featured Ryan Gosling as a Replicant tasked with finding other Replicants, but his journey quickly led him to question his own identity and the nature of humanity.

The movie shared many of the same ideas as the original and looked stunning, as you’d expect from director Villeneuve. Unfortunately, like before, not many people went to see it in theaters. With a budget of $150 to $185 million, it earned $276.6 million globally, but because only $92.1 million of that came from North America, it was considered a box office disappointment.

Like the original, critics generally praised the sequel, giving it an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences agreed, with an 88% score on the Popcornmeter. One issue was its nearly three-hour runtime, which felt excessive for a thought-provoking sci-fi film that didn’t rely heavily on action. Despite this, the movie helped director Denis Villeneuve land the job of directing Dune, a much more commercially successful project for him. Even though it didn’t perform well at the box office, the Blade Runner series has delivered two incredible films and rightfully deserves recognition as two of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.

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2025-12-05 18:42