'Blade Runner 2049' Box Office Failure Might Cost Producers $80 Million

This just in from the This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things Department: Blade Runner 2049, the existential sci-fi tone poem sequel from Denis Villeneuve, was such a box office disappointment that it faces an $80 million loss for its producers. Chalk this up to a case of history repeating itself, as the original Blade Runner wasn't a huge hit upon its initial release either, only to eventually earn a cult classic status.

Did you go see Blade Runner 2049? Probably not, since the film struggled at the box office like a dying replicant desperately clinging on to life. Despite a wealth of positive reviews (including one from yours truly), Blade Runner 2049 could not find an audience, and it was lost, like tears in the rain. While box office is never an indication of a film's quality – after all, the Transformers movies make money, and they're terrible – it's disappointing to see a truly unique film fail so miserably.

Just how much of a failure was Blade Runner 2049? THR reports the film's production company Alcon and its investors are looking at close to $80 million in losses. That's not chump change. Per the THR story, Blade Runner 2049 cost about  $155 million to make before marketing expenses and went on to garner "only" $240.6 million globally. While I personally would be fine making $240.6 million (seriously, feel free to send me that money, someone), it's far below what producers were hoping for.

While Blade Runner 2049 had star power in Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, and was helmed by the Oscar nominated Denis Villeneuve, it's failure isn't a complete surprise. The film is not your average sci-fi blockbuster, but rather a moody, slow-burning drama with an imposing 164-minute run time. Also, while the original Blade Runner has become an influential and highly regarded cult classic, its initial release would hardly be called a blockbuster, earning about earning $6.1 million its opening weekend.

I still hold firm to my belief that Blade Runner 2049 is an excellent film – one of 2017's best, in fact. But I also freely admit it's not a film for everyone. I think that just as the original Blade Runner picked up acclaim as the years pressed on, so too will Blade Runner 2049. A year or two from now, I have a feeling people will look back at Blade Runner 2049 and herald it as a unsung masterpiece; a film that deserved much more attention that it received upon its initial release.

Or I'm wrong, and everyone will forget about it. We'll see!