Three Reasons "Blade Runner 2049" Failed in Theaters
- Christian Gentolia
- Nov 20, 2017
- 2 min read
Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is a spectacular visual showcase that captures the core essence of science-fiction with its discourse on humanity. The production budget was an astounding $150 million, which is higher than other major releases such as Wonder Woman and Dunkirk. However, unlike Wonder Woman and Dunkirk, Blade Runner 2049 is slated to come in under budget and thus deals a menacing blow to distributor Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment.
The general rule of thumb is that a movie has to make double its production budget (to account for expenses not publicized, such as marketing) to break even. At the time of this article, Blade Runner 2049 has only made $240 million since its release at the beginning of October. Therefore, it's looking like Blade Runner 2049 will not be profitable. But why?
1. The original was not profitable
The original Blade Runner, released in 1982, was not profitable either. The film has gone through countless recuts by director Ridley Scott, making the version people saw in theaters barely recognizable to the cut most people would have seen now. Films nowadays need to be a brand to become profitable but Blade Runner would not be known to the average moviegoer. Propping up an obscure film from the 80s that became a cult classic after its time in the movie theater, Blade Runner was not able to bring the nostalgia audience that a movie like It was able to capitalize on.
2. Marketing was lackluster
The marketing for Blade Runner 2049 was horrendous. Unless it's a Star Wars movie, trailers have to give something to the viewer to entice them to watch the film. The trailers for 2049 were surface-level and only amounted to showing the overall bleak tone and the stunning visuals. The film had several visuals with action set pieces, yet much of the trailers showcased Ryan Gosling's blank face. The cinema world nowadays has moved on from stars being able to propel a film's earnings. So the constant promotion of this being a "Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling film" would barely help in getting people into seats.
3. The film was only meant for fans of the original film
Blade Runner 2049 was almost three hours long, clocking in at 163 minutes. The original has often been criticized for feeling too long and that film was merely two hours. 2049 had a budget of $150 million, close to that of major blockbusters like Spider-Man: Homecoming and Dunkirk. A movie with that big of a budget without the branding that Marvel would bring was set up to fail monetarily.
Blade Runner 2049 was an extraordinary visual treat that should gain Oscar nominations in cinematography and visual effects. However the film failed to reach the main goal of being profitable. Hollywood was not ready for a sequel of this magnitude, and thus another well-done film will soon fall into obscurity. Perhaps 2049 will follow its predecessor in becoming a cult classic once it finishes its run in theaters.
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