"The Great Wall," starring Matt Damon, has just opened in China and managed to earn over $66 Million through its opening weekend and a total of $82 Million after its initial five days, despite negative reviews potentially holding it back.
This gives the film the fourth highest opening in China, behind films such as "Captain America: Civil War" and "Time Raiders." It also earned much higher than "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which opened in China in January and managed to garner $52 Million in its domestic opening weekend.
According to the New York Times, the movie's success in China is a sign that China-produced films may have a bright future in the international market. The last notable film primarily produced and filmed in China was 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
"If this doesn't work, then I don't know what will," explained University of Southern California political-science professor Stanley Rosen. "The film addresses a lot of the previous issues that China has faced as it's tried to internationalize its film industry, like language and the lack of internationally known stars."
However, the movie's success in the West is barred by the onslaught of negative reviews. In a report from Quartz, the movie has a 5.4 out of 10 rating on IMDB. The majority of the reviews point out that "The Great Wall" focuses on style over substance and is quite unlike director Zhang Yimou's previous work.
It is further stated that the movie faces an uphill battle in North America given that it stars mostly unknown Chinese actors and that the film's reference to Chinese culture may be lost with Western audiences.
Financially the movie will benefit the studios due to how it satisfies partnership deals between Chinese studios and Hollywood studios. Most films made in the US imported to China only take home 25 percent of the profits but a film that meets the government standards of China, such as "The Great Wall," collect 45 percent.
"The Great Wall" will release in the US this Feb. 17, 2017.