A great brick wall was no match against a brick superhero.
Matt Damon's newest film The Great Wall crumbled against The LEGO Batman Movie. The historical fantasy epic fell short in its North American debut with a meager $18.1 million share, though enough to secure the third spot. Meanwhile, the animated DC Comics film came out on top again in this weekend's box office. It strengthened its grip on the first place with a solid $34.3 million earnings. Coming at second is S&M fantasy Fifty Shades Darker with a bounty of $21.1 million.
Rounding up the top ten flicks in this Presidents Day weekend are: (4) John Wick: Chapter 2 with $16.6 million; (5) Fist Fight with $12.1 million; (6) Hidden Figures with $7.2 million; (7) Split with $7 million; (8) A Dog's Purpose with $5.7 million; (9) La La Land with $4.5 million; and (10) A Cure for Wellness with $4.2 million.
The Great Wall Crumbles In Its Debut
The historical-monster film The Great Wall and its swords-and-magic were not enough to win the competition. In this weekend's box office results, the film earned only $18.1 million considering it had a $150 million budget. The movie was a joint production of Universal and Legendary Pictures, which was acquired by Chinese company Dalian Wanda Group for $3.5 billion last 2016.
The Great Wall stars Matt Damon and is directed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers, Hero). The movie also stars Andy Lau, Pedro Pascal, Jing Tian, and Willem Dafoe.
In the movie, Damon plays a European mercenary in China during the Song Dynasty period. He gets embroiled in the Chinese soldiers' fight against monsters, defending against them atop the Great Wall of China.
Although it tanked in the U.S. box office, the film has already earned $244 million worldwide. The film was released in China, where it earned $171 million. Critically speaking, the film did not fare well and received a very low 36 percent score from critics. It also got mired in controversy, being accused of "whitewashing" an Asian narrative.
The LEGO Batman Movie Rules Once More
Will Arnett-voiced animated flick Batman performed well in its second week, earning itself $34.2 million. The earnings bring the total U.S. earnings to $98.7 million. Internationally, the film has bagged over $170 million, boosted by this week's $21.5 million from more than 62 markets overseas.
The BDSM-erotic tale of Fifty Shades Darker continues to titillate its viewers, as proven by its $20.9 million earnings. With a $43.7 million international results, the film's grand total ballooned to $276.9 million worldwide.
The action-packed secret world of assassins film John Wick: Chapter 2 has already matched its first film's gross with a domestic total of $58.6 million. Internationally, the total is expected to grow as it opens on more markets.
