10 More Movies That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia And Failed
6. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
The original Blade Runner from 1982 is often considered to be one of the greatest science fiction films of all time, so talk of a sequel has been around for more than 30 years before it finally became a reality in 2017.
Blade Runner 2049 hoped to capitalize on the nostalgia of the first film by going after the fans of Ridley Scott's original masterpiece. While the movie succeeded in delivering on what it promised, it didn't do nearly as well as was predicted, and despite winning two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects, the movie was something of a disappointment.
Blade Runner 2049 cost Warner Bros. Pictures an estimated $185 million to produce, and that figure was nearly doubled because of promotional costs. When the box office tally for worldwide distribution was finally in, the movie only managed to make $260 million, resulting in a financial loss for the studio.
That figure represented a significant disappointment in what was hoped for the film, and while it was critically praised for many aspects, the fans didn't flock to see a sequel that took 35 years to come to fruition. In the case of Blade Runner 2049, the nostalgia had been left to sit for too long, making the movie less of a reminder of the original, and more of a disappointing continuation the studio took its time delivering.