In an unexpected turn, Denis Villeneuve’s big-budget sequel Blade Runner 2049 is veering dramatically off course in its box-office debut.
The long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s cult 1982 sequel grossed $12.7 million on Friday from 4,058 theaters for a projected weekend debut in the $30 million-$35 million range, well behind expectations.
From Alcon, Warner Bros. and Sony, the follow-up 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.
The movie, with a hefty 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, which garnered strong reviews and an A- CinemaScore, will need to do big business on the worldwide stage after costing a net $150 million to produce. The movie is opening in almost every major international market this weekend, save for China, Japan and South Korea.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Blade Runner 2049 earned roughly $6.8 million from its first foreign markets for a projected $48 million-$52 million foreign launch.
The weekend’s two other new nationwide players are likewise challenged and doing less business than tracking had suggested they would.
Lionsgate and Hasbro’s My Little Pony looks likely to debut in second place with $10 million-$12 million from 2,528 theaters after earning $3 million on Friday. Based on Hasbro’s television series and magical pony toy line, the film is voiced by Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Pena, Uzo Aduba, Liev Schreiber, Taye Diggs and Sia.
Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment’s drama The Mountain Between Us, starring Idris Elba and Kate Winslet, took in $3.5 million on Friday for a projected $10 million opening. Directed by Hany Abu-Assad, the pic follows two travelers who are stranded in the wilderness after surviving a plane crash. Beau Bridges and Dermot Mulroney also star.
My Little Pony and Mountain Between Us both garnered A- CinemaScores.
In the definite plus column is New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.’ horror sensation It, which is crossing $300 million domestically in its fifth weekend. The R-rated film looks set to come in No. 4 with an estimated $9 million weekend for a domestic cume through Sunday of $304.3 million.
Tom Cruise’s American Made is in a close battle with Kingsman: The Golden Circle for fifth place with a projected $8 million each.
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