'Blade Runner 2049' tops box office with disappointing takings

With takings of $32.8 millions, the movie didn't enjoy the sensational opening its rave reviews suggested it might

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 figures showed Monday.

But with takings of $32.8 million in North American theaters, 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 bioengineered 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 $10.6 million, according to industry monitor Exhibitor Relations.

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 $16.9 million to $10 million, freaky horror hit It - based on the Stephen King novel - settled for third place in its fifth week in theaters.



In fourth, earning $8.9 million, was Lionsgate animation My Little Pony: The Movie - featuring star-studded voiceovers 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 $8.7 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

American Made ($8.4 million)

The Lego Ninjago Movie ($7 million)

Victoria and Abdul ($4.2 million)

Flatliners ($4 million)

Battle of the Sexes ($2.6 million)

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