‘Wolf Warriors 2’ breaks ‘Mermaid’ record
BEIJING: Wolf Warriors 2 has broken the box-office record set by ‘The Mermaid’.
Since premiering on July 27, it has shovelled in over 3.4 billion yuan (RM2.15 billion), according to unofficial China box-office trackers Maoyan, a leading ticket merchant, and other industry tallies.
Last year, Hong Kong director Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid had grossed 3.39 billion yuan, according to Maoyan.
Actor-director Wu Jing’s Wolf Warriors 2 boasts the ominous tagline “whoever offends China will be hunted down no matter how far away they are”, and millions of Chinese cinemagoers have lapped it up since its release less than two weeks ago.
Replete with special effects, stunts and explosions to rival those of Hollywood, Wolf Warriors 2 tells the story of a former Chinese Special Forces operative’s foray into
Wu Jing is the most likely actor to follow in the footsteps of Jet Li and Jackie Chan. South China Morning Post
an unnamed African war zone to rescue compatriots and downtrodden locals.
Experts say the movie is riding a wave of patriotic fervour drummed up by the ruling Communist Party.
It comes soon after China opened a naval base in Djibouti, a major step in the country’s expanding military presence abroad. The facility in the Horn of Africa nation is China’s first overseas naval base.
However, not all patriotic Chinese films this season have enjoyed such rave reviews.
The Founding of an Army boasts better-known actors but has been panned by critics, movie-goers and even families of a number of Chinese revolutionary heroes.
That film was timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, which was accompanied by celebrations and wall-to-wall media coverage.
For Wu Jing, it’s certain to be a massive pay day. It’s probably his career-defining moment.
While movies by action heroes like Jackie Chan are still pulling in serious cash, no action movie has made such a huge dent on the box office.
Apparently, Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post got it spot-on when it editorialised in 2006 that Wu Jing is “the most likely actor to follow in the footsteps of Jet Li and Jackie Chan”. — Agencies