Before I watch a theatrical movie on HBO, I always check IMDb to see what the original aspect ratio is of the film.
Movies tend to garner a second life when they are shown on HBO in repeat cyclical format. Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner," which, by all accounts, I thought was 3/4 of a great movie ultimately spiraled out of control when Harrison Ford's Deckard came into the mix. That's all fine and dandy, it really was one of the most visually stimulating films I had seen in ages. Roger Deakins winning the Oscar for his work was well-earned as well.
To have a film such as this one produced by a major studio (Warner Bros.) in this day and age of Hollywood obsessions with franchises, sequels, reboots, animation, and superhero movies is something to celebrate. Sure, BR2049 is a sequel, of sorts, to a 1982 cult classic, but it was still very much a risky endeavor for its director Denis Villeneuve and WB. There barely is any plot, it's mostly Gosling acting in a deadpan mode and Deakins/Villeneuve's visuals just take over the narrative drive.
I know many people that swear by this sequel and for good reason. There are many masterful sequences here. It also helps that despite HBO being infamous for showing widescreen movies in the pan & scan format of the old days, and more recently scanning them to fit modern TVs, that the last few years they have shown several films (Gone Girl, The Martian, The Revenant and Logan) in their original aspect ratios. "Blade Runner 2049" is being show in its original form. That's the only way you will truly build up its fanbase. HBO knows that and respects the intended vision that was meant to be show by its creators. Flaws and all, I think BR2049 deserves and audience after its disappointing box-office intake.