‘Wolf Warriors 2’ tops global box office
BEIJING: Wolf Warriors 2 was the top global box office hit with combined takings of US$ 127 million ( RM546 million) over its debut weekend.
It was way ahead of the secondplaced Dunkirk, which earned US$ 73 million ( RM314 million) globally.
Warriors 2 is a contemporary war actioner directed by and starring former martial artist Wu Jing (also known as Jacky Wu). With assistance from the Russo brothers and a stellar international cast that includes Frank Grillo, it is a sequel to a similar Wu-hemled effort in 2015, which grossed US$ 89 million.
The sequel’s opening performance not only beat the lifetime score of the predecessor movie. It also won the box office battle with Chinese propaganda movie The Founding of an Army, which showcases historical events of 1927 and grossed US$ 24.8 million, according to data from Ent Group.
Though Army had the initial advantage, with 68,000 screening sessions that day, compared with 38,000 for Warriors 2, it immediately trailed the more modern story. Warriors 2 opened with US$ 15.1 million, versus US$ 5.62 million for Army.
Both films expanded thereafter, with Warriors 2 enjoying as many as 126,000 screenings on Saturday, and Army peaking at 94,000 on Friday. But the momentum was all with Warriors 2 which earned US$ 31.2 million on Friday, US$ 45.9 million on Saturday, and climbed to US$ 49.2 million on Sunday.
Army benefits from a pop star
Army benefits from a pop star cast, spectacular staging, and the services of Hong Kong’s Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs) as director. But it could not hide its status as a new era state-backed propaganda title.
cast, spectacular staging, and the services of Hong Kong’s Andrew Lau ( Infernal Affairs) as director. But it could not hide its status as a new era state-backed propaganda title – its outing was timed to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army — harking back to events that hold little immediate relevance to China’s youth skewing cinema audience.
Last Sunday, Army had a glitzy local debut in Hong Kong, with an audience stuffed with old guard Hong Kong leaders. There, Peter Lam chairman of distributor Media Asia, optimistically promised to lift the film’s box office performance.
All other titles scrambled for the few remaining screens, and their small time performances reflected that. China is currently in its annual summer blackout period, when no major Hollywood movies can be released. That means those films crushed by the duel between Warriors 2 and Army were largely Chinese titles.
Holdover, Despicable Me earned US$ 3.33 million in its fourth week for US$ 146 million after 24 days. Chinese animation, Dear Tutu took fourth spot with US$ 2.66 million in three days.
Another Chinese animation, Tofu limped to US$ 2.22 million on its opening. Holdover, Brotherhood of Blades II added US$ 1.97 million after a steep fall. After 12 days, its cumulative is US$ 38 million. No other title reached US$ 1 million.