‘Blade Runner 2049’ pulls in older guys but few others

NEW YORK — “Blade Runner 2049” had the pedigree, the stars and the stellar reviews. But even though the highly touted sequel had seemingly everything going for it, something didn’t click with audiences.

The big-budget, handsomely crafted sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic opened surprisingly weak at the North American box office. According to studio estimates Sunday, “2049” grossed $31.5 million, a poor start for a movie that cost at least $150 million to make.

The problem “Blade runner 2049” ran into is clear from opening-weekend data. The audience was overwhelmingly male (71 percent) and over the age of 25 (86 percent). The movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, simply failed to pull in moviegoers beyond fans of the 1982 original.

The opening was a blow most of all to Alcon Entertainment, the production company that split the film’s cost with Sony Pictures. Warner Bros., which released the original and maintained rights for any follow-ups, distributed domestically. Sony released the film internationally, where it performed better with $50.2 million in overseas ticket sales over the weekend.

The 20-year-old Alcon, backed by FedEx founder Fred Smith, has been behind some notable successes with Warner Bros. (“The Blind Side,” “Prisoners.”) But its blockbuster ambitions — which include flops like “Point Break” and “Transcendence” — have gone rockier. Co-founder Andrew Kosove previously called the ambitious “Blade Runner 2049” “a chips-in-the-center-of-the-table exercise.”

⏩ Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers also are included. Final domestic figures will be released today.

1. “Blade Runner 2049,” $31.5 million ($50.2 million international).

2. “The Mountain Between Us,” $10.1 million ($3.6 million international).

3. “It,” $9.7 million.

4. “My Little Pony: The Movie,” $8.8 million ($3.8 million international).

5. “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” $8.1 million ($25.5 million international).

6. “American Made,” $8.1 million ($1.8 million international).

7. “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” $6.8 million ($6.9 million international).

8. “Victoria & Abdul,” $4.1 million ($3 million international).

9. “Flatliners,” $3.8 million ($1.5 million international.)

10. “Battle of the Sexes,” $2.4 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore.

1. “Never Say Die,” $66 million.

2. “Blade Runner 2049,” $50.2 million. 3. “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” $25.5 million.

4. “It,” $19.8 million.

5. “Chasing the Dragon,” $17.6 million. 6. “The Foreigner,” $17 million.

7. “The Fortress,” $14.4 million.

8. “City of Rock,” $11.9 million.

9. “Crime City,” $9.7 million.

10. “Sky Hunter,” $9.1 million.

Stephen Vaughan / Associated Press Ryan Gosling, left, and Harrison Ford in a scene from “Blade Runner 2049.”