20 Things You Didn't Know About Blade Runner
8. The Film Suffered At The Box Office Thanks To E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
With a budget of $30 million, Blade Runner's theatrical run only yielded $32.9 million, making it a box-office failure. While this could be attributed to initially poor audience reactions from its lacklustre initial cut, another concurrent sci-fi release was likely responsible for the film's underwhelming performance.
That film was Steven Spielberg's classic E.T, or E.T. The Extra Terrestrial to give it its massively redundant full title. Made on just $10.5 million, its family friendly tone helped it rake in a whopping $792.2 million at the box office, leaving Blade Runner in the dust. Similarly affected was John Carpenter's The Thing, almost universally despised upon release alongside such optimistic fare as E.T. Luckily, both Blade Runner and The Thing have since gained the recognition they deserve thanks to home video releases.