Topples at American box office

IN AN embarrassment for Dalian Wanda Group, the Chinese conglomerate determined to become a global film superpower, its first mega-budget production, TheGreatWall, fizzled in its North American release over the weekend. Costing at least $150 million to make and tens of millions more to market, TheGreatWall arrived to an estimated $18 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada, according to comScore, which compiles box office data. TheGreatWall received largely negative reviews; several of the positive notices called the film too bizarre to miss. But TheGreat Wall is not a worldwide failure. Starring Matt Damon as a European mercenary who becomes ensnared in a large-scale effort to protect China from razor-toothed monsters, it has collected a total of $245 million overseas.