Duncan Jones’s “Warcraft” may be considered a flop in the United States, but it is a record-breaking flick for Chinese moviegoers, leaving some to wonder if this is Hollywood’s future in China.
A report from The Verge, among others, noted the peculiar event that led to the movie adaptation of the popular online role-playing game (RPG) being a record-smashing hit in the world's fastest growing movie market.
Like The Verge, the Washington Post also published a report on this, saying that the success of "Warcraft" in China may prove that the game is changing and that the Chinese moviegoers may render American audiences "irrelevant" to the box office.
Warcraft
According to its synopsis on iMDB, the film follows the story of peaceful realm of Azeroth, which is faced with war upon the arrival of fierce invaders known as orc warriors who fled their home to conquer another.
Its cast is led by Travis Fimmel, who plays Anduin Lothar, while screenplay was written by Charles Leavitt and the movie's director himself.
It opened Wednesday last week in North America and earned a meager $46 million on its first two days in theaters.
However, Variety said the same movie racked up a hefty $156 million for its first five days in China, breaking the record of the "biggest debut for a foreign release in the country's history."
Record-breaking Sales
The movie based on the multiplayer online RPG "World of Warcraft" proved to be "something of a rarity," Forbes said on Sunday.
Universal's domestic distribution chief Nick Carpou explained that "Warcraft's" unusual success was caused by the globalization of the entertainment industry.
"It's not a different kind of success story, it's a global success story," he explained. "It has to do with the globalization of the theatrical business and the fact that international markets are getting stronger and stronger."
According to the Washington Post, director Duncan Jones made the right move by investing in a "China-centric entertainment business model."
Because of this, many are now seeing the shift in box office, which had previously been largely dependent on the American market.
After all, China is an emerging giant in the entertainment industry in terms of audiences, which was proven with "Warcraft's" success in the country.
"But Legendary's success with 'Warcraft' just underscores how much Hollywood in general sees China as vital to its growth in the years ahead," The Verge explained. "China is expected to bypass the United States as the world's biggest film market by 2017, and offers not only lucrative box office but product placement opportunities as well."