Skip to main content

‘Blade Runner 2049’ stalls out after strong start, still wins the box office

Blade Runner 2049 Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited Blade Runner sequel started off like a blockbuster in the making, but Blade Runner 2049 fell apart as the weekend progressed.

The follow-up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 cyberpunk classic was the top film at the box office, but the $31.5 million it earned in U.S. theaters was well below the $45-55 million opening weekend that its strong Thursday night “preview” screenings had pundits predicting. With Blade Runner 2049 reportedly costing around $150 million to make, the film isn’t off to a great start domestically, but it’s doing well overseas so far — to the tune of $81.7 million worldwide — and stands to do well when it opens November 10 in China and some of the other large markets.

Recommended Videos

All was not doom and gloom for Blade Runner, though, as the film received positive reviews from critics (89-percent “Fresh” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes) and a warm reception from general audiences (an “A-” grade from audience polling site CinemaScore). This could mean good things for it if audiences were simply waiting to find out if it was any good before buying into yet another sequel, so we’ll have to see what happens next week.

Please enable Javascript to view this content
# Title  Weekend    U.S.  Total   Worldwide Total 
1. Blade Runner 2049 $31.5M $31.5M $81.7M
2. The Mountain Between Us $10.1M $10.1M $13.7M
3. It $9.6M $304.9M $603.7M
4. My Little Pony: The Movie $8.8M $8.8M $12.6M
5. Kingsman: The Golden Circle $8.1M $79.9M $253.5M
6. American Made $8M $30.4M $98.5M
7. The Lego Ninjago Movie $6.7M $43.8M $77.4M
8. Victoria and Abdul $4.1M $5.9M $30.9M
9. Flatliners $3.8M $12.3M $18.3M
10. Battle of the Sexes $2.4M $7.6M $7.6M

Two other new releases found their way into the weekend’s top ten films, with survival drama The Mountain Between Us taking second place and the animated feature My Little Pony: The Movie coming in fourth. Like Blade Runner, both films earned positive, “A-” grades from audiences, but still underperformed at the box office.

In other news, Andy Muschietti’s horror hit It slipped down to third place after making a return trip to the top spot last week. Now firmly atop the record books as the highest-grossing horror movie of all time, It doesn’t appear to be ending its killer run any time soon.

The upcoming weekend doesn’t look to challenge the current rankings, as all of the week’s new releases are lower-profile projects. Among the noteworthy films hitting theaters are the Jackie Chan action film The Foreigner, horror prequel Leatherface, Thurgood Marshall biopic Marshall, and horror film Happy Death Day. Whether any of the films squeeze into the top ten remains to be seen, but they face stiff competition from the crowded box office.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
The best movies on Disney+ right now
Indy holding the titular artifact in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Saturated as the steaming arena can be, Disney+ remains a great platform for watching movies with broad appeal. Even though Disney is understandably known for its animated family fare, there's plenty of variety elsewhere. From Marvel Studios' superhero adventures to Lucasfilm's Star Wars sci-fi sagas and even National Geographic's thought-provoking documentaries, subscribers are spoiled for choice in content.

Still, the streamer's movie catalog can make it tough to settle on a title for movie night. Thankfully, every type of fan will have options, and this monthly guide takes care of the hard part by highlighting some of the best movies on Disney+ right now.

Read more
Tottenham vs. Manchester United: How to watch, results and highlights
Aerial view of the fans at Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

On Sunday afternoon, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United square off in Premier League action. To say these teams are disappointed in their respective seasons is an understatement. Tottenham is 15th in the Premier League standings with 27 points entering Sunday's contest. With 13 defeats, the Spurs have clinched their seventh consecutive season of 10+ losses. With 14 games left, Tottenham could have their worst season since 2003-04, when they lost 19 times.
Manchester United has not been much better than Tottenham. United is 14th in the Premier League standings with 29 points. On the positive side, the Red Devils notched a 2-1 victory over Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round. These two teams last met in December, with Tottenham winning 4-3 in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal.

Even with little to play for, Tottenham and Manchester United are looking for some momentum the rest of the way. A win on Sunday could help alleviate their issues. Find out how to watch the game between Tottenham and Manchester United, including the start time, channel, and streaming information. For coverage of February's must-see matches, visit Digital Trends' Premier League guide.
How to watch Tottenham vs. Manchester United
https://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/1890823390103310352

Read more
UConn vs. South Carolina: How to watch, highlights and results
Paige Bueckers shoots the ball.

In women's college basketball, UConn and South Carolina are two of the blue bloods in the sport. These two titans will square off on Sunday afternoon in what should be an epic showdown. On one side, you have Geno Auriemma and the No. 7 UConn Huskies (23-3). No coach has more national championships in women's college basketball than Auriemma's 11. However, Auriemma's team has not won the title since the 2015-2016 season. If UConn wins it all this year, it will be on the back of Paige Bueckers, the future No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. 

While UConn has been in a championship drought, South Carolina is one of the powerhouses of the last five years. Dawn Staley and No. 4 South Carolina (23-2) have won the national title in two of the last three seasons, including last year's championship over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Since the 2021 season began, the Gamecocks are a staggering 131-5.
UConn is 9-5 all-time against South Carolina. However, the Gamecocks have won the last four. Can UConn end the drought, or will South Carolina continue their dominance? Read on for information on how to watch the game between UConn and South Carolina, including the start time, TV channel, and streaming options. Read our NCAA women's basketball March to the Madness guide for more coverage.

Read more