After nearly two years since the principal filming that began on March 30, 2015, "The Great Wall" is finally completed and ready for its dual release dates. The initial opening from December 15 to 17 in China has already garnered a total of $67.4 million worth of sales - a relatively huge success.
A report by Variety tallied the sales per day as per the data presented by Ent Group film industry consultancy. During its Friday premiere, "The Great Wall" earned approximately $17.7 million. On Saturday night, the sales spiked to $24 million. The Sunday premiere sales curved down to $17 million.
Journey To The West
Although this ambitious American-Chinese collaboration project was relatively successful among its Chinese audience, the triumph of its Western premiere remains uncertain. After all, box office hits define the idea of success. This expensive film venture for which Matt Damon has reputedly invested so much (enough to postpone the "Bourne" franchise, as once reported by Jobs & Hire) has yet to break even with its total $135 million budget.
"The Great Wall" is set to release on February 17, 2017 across US theaters. Until then, as underscored by the analysis of Market Watch, Legendary East and China Film Group need to cross their fingers for their Western audience.
Background and Controversy
Historically, the Great Wall of China was built as a way of protecting themselves from the notorious barbarian horsemen (e.g. Huns, Tatars, and Mongols). But in this film's fantasy premise, the Song Dynasty completed the last leg of the megalithic construction to ward off a horde of monsters.
Despite the mind-stretching plot, a few detractors could not help but create some cultural issue out of it. "The Great Wall" is just one of the many fiction materials accused of 'whitewashing' - featuring a 'white savior' in a foreign setting. Matt Damon fiercely opposed the aspersion, emphasizing the beauty of cross-cultural unity in the face of a real unnatural threat.
