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Ridley Scott said an executive asked him why he wasn't making movies "about normal people" after his first four movies failed to ignite the box office.
The director appeared on the November 28 episode of "The Director's Cut" podcast with Fede Alvarez, who helmed 2024's "Alien: Romulus."
During the conversation, Scott touched on the fact that "The Duellists," "Alien," "Blade Runner," and "Legend" were not big earners.
He recalled a conversation when a studio executive pressured him to make movies without heavy topics, visually striking worlds, or strange characters.
He didn't name the executive or give a date — but it seems to have been in around 1986 based on the release dates.
He said: "They're a pretty good first four movies. So I knew I'm on the right track," he said.
"But somebody at one of the studios said to me, 'Why don't you do a film about normal people?' I went, 'What the fuck does that mean?' Because no one's normal unless you're totally boring, right?'"
According to Box Office Mojo, "Alien" made $78 million worldwide in 1979. "Blade Runner" made $39 million globally in 1982, per another reliable movie financial site, The Numbers.
In 1979, the top grossing movie was the Bond film "Moonraker," at $210 million, and in 1982 it was "E.T." with $797 million.
It's surprising those figures aren't higher since both titles are widely regarded as two of the best science-fiction movies ever made.
Scott's fixation on huge themes also led to major successes like "Black Hawk Down," "Kingdom of Heaven," and "Gladiator", which had its sequel premiere on November 15.
The "Alien" and "Blade Runner" movies both flourished in later years.
"Alien" prompted with six further films, including Alvarez's "Alien: Romulus," which takes place shortly after the original movie. Together they've grossed more than $1.98 billion.
"Blade Runner" also spawned a 2017 sequel (which grossed $258 million) and an upcoming Amazon Prime Video TV series.
Scott had his own thoughts about why the films didn't initially win big — either the promotion was at fault, or the people watching.
"These are all good movies, so there's something deeply wrong with the audience or marketing. But you know, I'm not bitter. I'm very happy where I am.
"It is the best attitude that one can have. I think, you know, that's the best attitude that one can have, to just love all of your movies, trust, and keep going," he said.
