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Member2KOct-07-2017 3:06 PMWEEKEND PREVIEW: Debuting 35 years after the original, Blade Runner 2049 hopes to get October off to a good start on the heels of record numbers this past September.
Blade Runner 2049 and its reported, $150 million price tag, will debut in 4,058 North American theaters (third widest all-time) this weekend while Sony and partner Alcon Entertainment will deliver the film worldwide. Industry expectations are for a $100 million debut globally, with approximately 50% of that coming from the domestic opening as industry forecasts range from $45-55 million.
Major markets where the film will not be opening this week include South Korea (10/12), Japan (10/27) and China (11/10) with the film already having opened in Belgium, Switzerland and France yesterday.
FRIDAY AM UPDATE: Blade Runner 2049 got things started last night with $4 million from Thursday night previews, $800k of which came from IMAX screenings. For comparison, The Martian delivered $2.5 million from preview screenings and Gravity brought in $1.4 million before both films went on to open with over $54 million each. Another comp that carries weight is Mad Max: Fury Road, which brought in $3.7 million from Thursday night previews before its $45.4 million opening, Prometheus brought in $3.6 million (including $1 million from IMAX screenings) before its $51 million debut and Interstellar delivered $3.5 million before its $47.5 million opening.
SATURDAY AM UPDATE: With an estimated $12.7 million on Friday (including $4 million from Thursday night previews), Blade Runner 2049 is looking to come in well below expectations, targeting an opening anywhere from $31-36 million.