It's no secret that before it went on to become an iconic sci-fi classic, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner was not very well received when it hit theaters in 1982. It only grossed a little over $6 million on its opening weekend, mainly because it arrived during a time of heavy sci-fi competition from movies like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. American audiences almost immediately wrote it off as slow and dull, with many expecting a more exciting and action-packed movie starring the the guy who played Han Solo in the Star Wars movies. It wasn't just audiences who were expecting something different, though, as these studio notes following a 1981 screening show.

"This movie gets worse every screening," proclaims one note. "The voice-over is terrible, the audience will fall asleep," says another. Others go on to claim the film is "choppy" and "intolerable," and the notes on the bottom of the page suggest the cut should be taken away from director Ridley Scott due to him not delivering "what was agreed." Those familiar with the path the movie took know this did eventually happen, resulting in several different cuts existing. The only cut that Ridley Scott had complete control over was finally released in 2007 in honor of the film's 25th anniversary, and it's now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Check out the notes below, which pull the curtain back to reveal the often unflattering process of preparing a movie for the big screen. [via Cinephilia & Beyond]

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