'Lego Batman' stays No. 1, conquers 'The Great Wall'
The most expensive film ever made in China and with a budget of $150 million, "The Great Wall" was intended to prove that the world's no. 2 movie marketplace could produce Hollywood-sized blockbusters of its own.
Though it ran up $171 million in ticket sales in China, "The Great Wall" pulled in $18.1 million in its North American debut over Presidents Day weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Warner Bros. animated release easily led the box office again with $34.2 million in its second week, sliding only 35 percent.
Universal could still claim four of the top 10 films, the other two being "A Dog's Purpose" ($5.6 million in its fourth week) and "Split" ($7 million in its fifth week), so far the top film of 2017.
Studios already regularly partner with Chinese film companies on everything from Transformers:
Films like "The Great Wall" and "Warcraft," however, prove that finding the right balance between American and Chinese tastes remains a difficult balancing act.
For Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, the more significant factor for "The Great Wall" wasn't its multi-national origins but its Rotten Tomatoes rating: a dismal 36 percent "fresh."
The comedy "Fist Fight," starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day as feuding high-school teachers, opened with $12 million.
[...] Gore Verbinski's gothic horror "A Cure for Wellness" — his follow-up to the box-office bomb "The Lone Ranger" — made just $4.2 million, a result that won't help the director's standing in the industry.
On Friday, Fox apologized for using fake news stories to promote the film.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore: