Earlier this year, Ridley Scott released the big-budget, period drama, “The Last Duel.” The reviews were generally solid, with many predicting some awards contention in the future. However, when the film hit cinemas, the box office results were terrible, with “The Last Duel” likely becoming one of the biggest bombs of 2021. And if this sounds like the situation surrounding one of Scott’s previous films, “Blade Runner,” you’re not alone thinking about that comparison. In fact, the filmmaker himself would agree.
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Speaking to the New York Times, while promoting his second film of 2021, “House of Gucci,” Ridley Scott was asked about the box office performance of “The Last Duel.” Unsurprisingly, Scott was honest about the performance, but he doesn’t think box office performance will be the be-all, end-all in determining the film’s place in history.
“It was exceedingly disappointing,” said the filmmaker. “The fatal thing is when you think you’ve got it, you haven’t — I thought I’d got it on ‘Blade Runner’ and I hadn’t! I was crucified by a big critic at the time called Pauline Kael. It’s why I never read critiques, ever. You have to be your own decider — if you worry about what the audience is thinking and what they may want, that’s fatal. A good film will find itself, and now ‘Blade Runner’ is in the Library of Congress.”
While Scott is quick to compare “The Last Duel” to “Blade Runner,” when it comes to box office performance, it’s not a completely similar situation. “Blade Runner” carried a fairly modest (by today’s standards) budget of approximately $30 million and would gross $41 million in theaters. “The Last Duel,” on the other hand, carries a budget that is reportedly upwards of $100 million and, as of this writing, has only earned $26 million worldwide. Even though “Blade Runner” is never considered a box office winner, it’s still miles ahead of “The Last Duel.”
One thing that really can’t be disputed, because it’s far too early, is to know where “The Last Duel” will end up in the minds of film fans in the years to come. Will it hold up as a classic in the pantheon of classic films from Scott? Or will it fade out of memory? We’ll just have to wait and see. But perhaps, Ridley Scott does have another “Blade Runner” on his hands.