Yes, really. Odds are you probably didn’t go to see it, and the critics mostly hated it, but Duncan Jones’ adaptation of Warcraft has become the most successful film based on a videogame ever, beating out the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (remember that one?). Warcraft has now made $377.6m globally since its debut, overtaking Prince of Persia’s $336m haul.
How can that be? Wasn’t Warcraft deemed to be a flop? It didn’t do well in America, dropping off 73% in its second week. But it has done staggeringly well in China - over $200m of its box office so far has come from China, and it has been doing better that Star Wars: The Force Awakens in that country. The Chinese box office is becoming increasingly important for Hollywood — Pacific Rim for instance underperformed domestically, but is now getting a John Boyega-starring sequel because of its international success. Jackie Chan, the biggest Chinese star ever, even commented that Warcraft’s success there “scared” American film studios.
[via MCV]
