Warcraft has the distinction of being the most successful film adaptation of a video game ever released, but that’s an overly narrow superlative. The fantasy flick is a massive hit in China, but it flopped in the U.S. and only did decent business elsewhere. Still, that may be enough for a second round of orcs and mages, at least if the movie’s social media in China is to be believed.
/Film notes the movie wrapped up its record-breaking run in Chinese theaters this week, with a tweet that translates out to:
Warcraft’s theatrical run is coming to an end. But the chapter of a new decade has just begun. It’s a starting point, not an end point. We don’t say goodbye because we’ll meet you again!
It’s not surprising that the film’s Chinese backers would want a sequel. After all, if anybody made money off this movie, it was them. But by the same token it might be a trickier proposition than it seems. The movie’s $430 million gross falls just short of the $450 million many estimated it needed to hit in order to break even in theaters. Of course, that doesn’t take into account home video sales and how many subscriptions Blizzard sold to World of Warcraft, but the movie’s terrible American performance is a liability. For a little contrast, Pacific Rim ultimately made about the same amount of money, but still cracked $100 million in the U.S. Warcraft may have a harder time justifying a sequel, at least if it wants to keep its budget.
(Via /Film)
