It's hard to imagine now, but the sci-fi classic Blade Runner was not a hit when it first came out in 1982. But wait, how is that possible? Was Blade Runner really a flop at the box office? Yes.

When John Carpenter’s “The Thing” was released in 1982, it bombed. Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.,” by contrast soared, becoming a national phenomenon. Still, the two share a bond in Chris Nashawaty’s new ...