The "Warcraft" movie opened in China on June 8, Wednesday. (Photo : YouTube/KinoCheck International)
The "World of Warcraft" is poised to beat the latest "Star Wars" franchise in China's box office, indicating that the Force may not be so strong when opposed against powerful backers, Bloomberg reported.
On its first two days, "Warcraft" made a record-breaking feat with $90 million in gross sales.
The movie's ticket sales haul may hit 2 billion yuan or $305 million following its launch last week. The projection came from Nomura Holdings Inc. analyst Richard Huang, as told by Bloomberg.
"Nomura's projections position 'Warcraft' to be second only to the record-breaking romantic comedy 'The Mermaid' at the Chinese box office this year and help illustrate the country's emerging film tastes," the news website noted.
"The hype surrounding the movie also underscores the popularity of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s 'World of Warcraft' game in China, where there's an estimated fan base of about 10 million people," Bloomberg added.
Meanwhile, Walt Disney's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" recorded $53 million on its opening day in China, a far cry from "Warcraft's" figures.
Bloomberg said that the Disney film "could not replicate that success with Chinese moviegoers when it opened in the country in January" given the audience's unfamiliarity with the franchise.
"Warcraft," on the other hand, is already a big thing in China, thanks to the sensational video game on which it was based.
The $160-million film was backed by Wanda Group's Legendary Entertainment, as well as tech giant Tencent Holdings. Entertainment mogul Huayi Brothers Media Corp. is also among the film's big-time investors.
While performing exceptionally well in China, "Warcraft" seems to be generating an underwhelming reception from other markets, both in figures and reviews.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the movie's opening in North America is projected to gross only $22 million to place third in the box office, after "The Conjuring 2" and "Now You See Me 2."
Critics are not so happy either with the film adaptation, with it having garnered a 24-percent rating on review website Rotten Tomatoes, the WSJ noted.
