Blade Runner (1982)
Man has made his match ...now it's his problem.
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 25 June 1982 |
| Genre | Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller |
| Director | Ridley Scott |
| Starring | Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young |
| Runtime | 118 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.5/10 · Metacritic 84/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 89% · IMDb 8.1/10 · TMDB users 7.9/10 |
| Budget | $28 million |
| Box office | $42 million worldwide |
Where to watch Blade Runner
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What kind of watch this is
Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi thriller runs 118 minutes. It is a mood piece wrapped in a job description. Deckard hunts machines that look like people, and the chase dissolves the line between them. The score hums, the rain never stops, and the questions get heavier. It is not an action movie, despite the word "runner." It is a long, wet argument about what makes you human. If you want explosions, look elsewhere. If you want to sit in the smog, press play.
How it did with audiences
Blade Runner cost $28 million to make. It took in $33 million in the United States and $42 million worldwide. TMDB users rate it 7.9 out of 10. IMDb gives it an 8.1/10 weighted average as of February 2026. The audience did the math. It paid back its budget, then shrugged.
Awards
Blade Runner took 4 awards from 12 nominations. Jordan Cronenweth picked up the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and BAFTA for Best Cinematography. Lawrence G. Paull won the BAFTA for Best Production Design. The film also claimed the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation. The technical craft got the votes, while the rest of the industry kept looking the other way.
Where it left its mark
North American audiences ignored it at first. International viewers did not. That gap birthed a cult following that refused to fade. The film’s dark style and futuristic designs set a benchmark for science fiction, video games, anime, and television. Its impact spilled into non-science fiction cinema as well. Directors like Christopher Nolan, who has watched it hundreds of times, and Guillermo del Toro, who calls it a cinematic drug, cite it as a key influence. It was preserved in the National Film Registry in 1993. The Visual Effects Society named it the second-most visually influential film in 2007. It shaped the cyberpunk movement and the Ghost in the Shell franchise. A 2004 poll of 60 scientists voted it the best science fiction film ever made.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Blade Runner.
Read more: Blade Runner 2049 · The Terminator
Sources
- Blade Runner on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q184843 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Blade Runner” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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