Big budget Great Wall not so great
LOS ANGELES — In an embarrassment for Dalian Wanda Group, the Chinese conglomerate determined to become a global film superpower, its first mega- budget production, The Great Wall, fizzled in its North American release over the Washington’s Birthday four- day weekend.
For the long weekend, The LEGO Batman Movie was again the No. 1 film, taking in $ 42.7 million, for a two- week total of $ 107 million. Another holdover, Fifty Shades Darker was second, with ticket sales of $ 22.7 million, for a twoweek total of $ 91.4 million. The Great Wall was third at $ 21.5 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada, according to comScore, which compiles box office data.
The Great Wall cost at least $ 150 million to make and tens of millions more to market. Perhaps worse, given that Wang Jianlin, Wanda’s chairman, told U. S. movie executives in an October speech that they needed to improve the quality of their films, The Great Wall received largely negative reviews. Several of the positive notices called the film too bizarre to miss.
But the film 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.
For Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, the more significant factor for The Great Wall wasn’t its multinational origins but its Rotten Tomatoes rating: a dismal 36 percent “fresh.”
“Just like every movie, irrespective of country of origin, reviews matter,” Dergarabedian said. “Audiences only care about the movie. They don’t necessarily care where it came from.”
The problem is that the film, directed by Zhang Yimou ( House of Flying Daggers), was held up as not just escapist entertainment but also as proof that China can serve up international blockbusters — that event films can rise in the East and play in the West. Although filmed entirely in China, The Great Wall was engineered to appeal to audiences in North America, which remains the world’s largest box office market. In addition to the casting of Damon, the film’s dialogue is mostly in English.
Also of note: A Cure for Wellness, a thriller directed by Gore Verbinski, arrived as an outright bomb, taking in just $ 5 million. Dane DeHaan stars as a young executive sent to retrieve his chief executive officer from a mysterious spa. The film cost New Regency about $ 40 million to make and was distributed by 20th Century Fox, which created fake news sites involving President Donald Trump and mental health to promote it. Fox subsequently called the fake news campaign a mistake and apologized.
Among other new releases, Fist Fight generated sales of $ 14 million through the long weekend. Ice Cube plays a fired teacher who challenges a co- worker to fight after school. The Warner Bros. picture, with an estimated price tag of $ 22 million, got a 32 percent favorable rating at RottenTomatoes. com, which aggregates critics’ reviews.
John Wick: Chapter 2, from Lionsgate, placed fourth with sales of $ 19 million.
Universal could still claim four of the top 10 films, the other two being A Dog’s Purpose ($ 7.5 million in its fourth week) and Split ($ 8.5 million in its fifth week), so far the top film of 2017.