10 Critically Acclaimed Films You Never Realised Bombed At The Box Office
9. Blade Runner (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 88%
Budget: $28 Million
Box Office: $33.8 Million
Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is now considered a cult classic and a masterpiece of science fiction, having been inducted into the United States National Film Registry on account of its cultural significance. However, Blade Runner struggled to make an impact with audiences upon its release in 1982.
Stiff competition for sci-fi movies that year (E.T., The Thing, Conan The Barbarian, Star Trek II: Wrath Of Khan) meant that Scott’s film made only $6.1 million over the opening weekend.
Despite a tough start in life, Blade Runner went on to exceed its budget in box office takings, though numerous over-budget costs (including the services of futurist artist Syd Mead who was brought in for a few days and ended up staying months) meant that the film was still a financial loss for The Ladd Company and Shaw Brothers Studios.
While opinions were mixed at the time, subsequent reviews from the industry’s top critics have all named Blade Runner a severely misunderstood movie, the influence of which has only increased with time.
Scientists from various fields have also shown their admiration for Scott’s film, naming it the best sci-fi film of all time in a poll conducted by The Guardian in 2004.