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‘Warcraft’ Breaks Box Office Records in China
‘Warcraft’ Breaks Box Office Records in China
The videogame adaptation is a phenomenon overseas, but it's expected to flop in the U.S.
The big-screen adaptation of the blockbuster video game has grossed more than $90 million in its first two days of release in China — a record-setting performance in the market. “Warcraft” is now one of only three movies in Chinese box office history to collect more than 500 million yuan in two days.
But in this case, there’s good news and bad news.
“Warcraft” opens in North America today, and is expected to gross an underwhelming $22 million in third place, according to box-office analysts. That’s a paltry showing for a movie that cost a little more than $160 million to produce, especially since the U.S. market is more lucrative than overseas territories for studios. Fellow new releases “The Conjuring 2″ and “Now You See Me 2″ are expected to take the top two spots.
Critics have been hard on “Warcraft,” too. The movie has a 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Still, the Chinese performance of the film has stunned Hollywood executives continually trying to understand the booming market. China is expected to surpass the U.S. as the world’s top box office next year, and drives daily decisions in Hollywood about what movies get made.
“Warcraft,” in particular, has major supporters in China. Its financiers include several Chinese partners, and its production company, Legendary Entertainment, was purchased by China’s Dalian Wanda Group Corp. earlier this year for $3.5 billion.
Wanda is the largest owner of movie theaters in China.
