Despite rave reviews, Blade Runner 2049 is struggling in its opening weekend at the US box office after opening at over 4,000 sites.

The long-awaited follow-up to Ridley Scott's seminal 1982 classic has projected weekend takings of $36.5m (£27.9m), a shock when considering the critical adoration heaped upon the new Denis Villeneuve film.

According to Deadline, it's looking like the sequel may struggle to reach its budget of $155m (£118.6m) by the end of its domestic theatrical run although Variety reports that comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian believes the initial takings signal "longterm playability for the film."

It's not been the most successful year for Blade Runner 2049 producer Ridley Scott whose previous attempt to revisit one of his old franchises - Alien: Covenant - also failed to set the box office alight earlier this year.

There are a few reasons as to why the visually-breathtaking Blade Runner 2049 - which sees Harrison Ford return as character Deckard - isn't landing with audiences right away. Firstly, it almost seems as if the film is an awards contender parading as a blockbuster - while Scott's original is revered as a classic today, it was considered a box office bomb in 1982. The same fate could be set for Villeneuve who has no doubt crafted a jaw-dropping piece of work alongside cinematographer Roger Deakins.

It's also important to point out that while Villeneuve is hailed by critics as one of the most exciting directors around, his best box office opening to date was 2016 film Arrival which amassed $24m (£18mm). The film's lead Ryan Gosling may be a popular screen presence, but his most successful box office opening was - somewhat surprisingly - Crazy Stupid Love ($19.1m - £14.7m).

Considering these facts, Blade Runner 2049 is a peak for them both.

Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Show all 15 1 / 15 Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Director: Martin McDonagh Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones Plot: In this darkly comic drama, a mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder, when they fail to catch the culprit. Twentieth Century Fox Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Call Me By Your Name Director: Luca Guadagnino Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg Plot: A young man named Elio, living in Italy during the 1980s, meets Oliver, an academic who has come to stay at his parents' villa, and a passionate relationship develops between them, as they bond over their sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the landscape. Sony Pictures Classics Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Dunkirk Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance Plot: In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Get Out Director: Jordan Peele Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener Plot: This horror drama follows a young interracial couple who visit the girl's parents only for her boyfriend to uncover a conspiracy whereby young black adults are being captured. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Downsizing Director: Alexander Payne Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Waltz, Alec Baldwin Plot: A man and his wife join a community of miniaturized people after undergoing a process to shrink themselves. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Florida Project Director:Sean Baker Cast:Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince Plot: A precocious 6-year-old and her friends are homeless, living in extended-stay motels, but their summer is still filled with childhood wonder and adventure. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Post Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson Plot: Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham of The Washington Post challenge the federal government for the right to publish classified information in 1971. Twentieth Century Fox Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Shape of Water Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones Plot: In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda discover a secret classified experiment. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Molly's Game Director: Aaron Sorkin Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner Plot: The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target. Courtesy of STXfilms Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Big Sick Director: Michael Showalter Cast: Kumail Najiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano Plot: Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Mudbound Director: Dee Rees Cast: Jason Clarke, Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Garrett Hedlund Plot: This Netflix film follows two who men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Disaster Artist Director: James Franco Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Zac Efron Plot: A big screen re-enactment of the making of Tommy Wiseau's cult film The Room deemed 'the worst movie of all time.' Getty Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Phantom Thread Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps Plot: Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover. Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Lady Bird Director: Greta Gerwig Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Beanie Feldstein, Tracy Letts Plot: Gerwig's deirectorial debut is a coming-of-age story about a high-school senior (Ronan) and her turbulent relationship with her mother (Metcalf). Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Darkest Hour Director: Joe Wright Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn Plot: The film follows Winston Churchill's early days as Prime Minister while Hitler closes in on Britain during World War II.

Film fans may also be turned off by the film's extended 163-minute running time which has inadvertently decreased the number of screens the film can be shown in.

Meanwhile, Andy Muschietti's adaptation of Stephen King novel It has continued to do big business shooting past both The Exorcist and The Sixth Sense to become the highest-grossing horror film of all time pre-adjusted for inflation. Budgeted at $35m (£26.7m), the film is set to gross almost nine times that with a US box office total of $304.6m (£233m).

Still, it remains to be seen how Blade Runner 2049 performs around the rest of the globe but there's no doubt those who do see the revival will be grateful they did.

Find a rundown of the 2017-18 Oscar Best Picture contenders here.