"Warcraft" continues to dominate China’s box office on its second week of showing. The strong showing, earning almost 320 million yuan in weekly sales, has led to speculation among fans of the video game adapted into a movie of a part 2.
What sparked the speculation is the interview by Duncan Jones, director of the film, with Man Made Movies, that with “Warcraft,” he laid a foundation upon which future sequels of the movie would be built upon.
He cited Peter Jackson, creator of the “Lord of the Ring” franchise, of doing a magnificent job in setting the table for a Tolkien universe in his first “Lord of the Ring” film. Jones said that he was aware his job in “Warcraft” was to “establish certain characters, places and culture while telling a story that a broad audience can be excited by.”
Jones continued, “If I have done my job right, people will want to know and see more! There is certainly plenty more to tell!” However, he said a “Warcraft 2” film would depend on what the audience thinks of the first movie.
At least, in China, moviegoers really love the film since it is close to breaking the record of “Zootopia” as the highest grossing foreign movie in the Asian giant in 2016. In overtaking the previous record set by Marvel’s “Captain America 3,” Jones’s film is only 180 million yuan away from “Zootopia.”
But another Disney movie, “Finding Dory,” produced by Pixar Studio, failed to topple “Warcraft” from the number one spot in China. However, the animation earned a respectable 120 million yuan for a second place finish for the week.