7 Directors Who Purposefully Sabotaged Other Movies

Most audiences and critics agreed that Blade Runner 2049, while something of a departure from the sci-fi noir thriller of the original, was still an excellent film that delved into heavy philosophical themes. Despite being praised, the film wasn't the box office smash Warner Bros. had been anticipating. And one reason for its shortcomings might be because of the campaign levied against it by Ridley Scott, director of the 1982 Blade Runner.

Scott was apparently disappointed that the film didn't go in the direction he had imagined for a sequel to his cult classic and levied a campaign to ruin the film by playing on what audiences cared about most. In an expletive-filled interview, he complained about Blade Runner 2049's length and announced that the film went way too long. He also had things to say about the film's writing and story structure, but his most emphatic criticism was just that the movie ate up too much of his day.

And his criticism had merit. Many industry experts believe that part of the reason Blade Runner 2049 put up lower than expected numbers was because of its 163-minute runtime limiting the number of shows that a theater could put on in a given week. Because of this and Scott's smug critique of the film, by its third week it was trailing behind Geostorm at the box office.