'Blade Runner’s Failure at the Box Office Was Actually for the Best

In 1982, it seemed that Blade Runner was a sure thing. DirectorRidley Scott was riding high off Alien. Harrison Fordwas smack in the middle of his “can do no wrong” streak. The trailer promised we would get rain-soaked neo-future that was the opposite of antiseptic, optimistic science fiction from just a few years prior. But many audience members didn’t understand what they had just seen, critics were divided, and the box office was lackluster for what should have been a hit.