Blade Runner reboot tops box office, but takings fall short of sensational
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Harrison Ford (left) who starred in the first Blade Runner film, faces off against Ryan Gosling in the sequel Blade Runner 2049.
PHOTO: STEPHEN VAUGHAN/WARNER BROS PICTURES
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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Long-awaited sequel Blade Runner: 2049 snatched the box office top spot this weekend - three and a half decades since Blade Runner hit the big screen in 1982, industry estimates showed Sunday (Oct 8.)
But with takings of US$31.5 million ($43 million) in North American cinemas, the sci-fi reboot - featuring original star Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling - didn't enjoy the sensational opening its rave reviews suggested it might.
Blade Runner: 2049 sees Gosling as a new Los Angeles Police Department "blade runner" - charged with killing bio-engineered androids known as "replicants". On uncovering a secret which threatens society, he embarks on a search for Harrison Ford's character, a former blade runner who disappeared 30 years ago.
Despite a disappointing first weekend, Blade Runner did not face much competition for the top spot - with Fox's The Mountain Between Us, in second place, earning just US$10.1 million.
Starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, The Mountain Between Us tells the story of a surgeon (Elba) and a journalist (Winslet), who fall in love as they fight to survive following a plane crash on a snowy Utah mountain range.
Meanwhile, with takings dropping from last week's US$16.9 million to US$9.6 million, freaky horror hit It - based on the Stephen King novel - settled for third place in its fifth week in theatres.
In fourth, earning US$8.8 million, was Lionsgate animation My Little Pony: The Movie - featuring star-studded voice-overs from the likes of Emily Blunt and Australian singer Sia.
But it was a fall from grace for espionage comedy Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which - having taken the crown last week - dropped to fifth place with earnings of just US$8.1 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were: American Made (US$8 million) The Lego Ninjago Movie" (US$6.7 million) Victoria and Abdul (US$4.1 million) Flatliners (US$3.8 million) Battle of the Sexes (US$2.4 million)
