2Wolf Warriors
Trailer #3
Time to split this off from the original into it’s own indie thread.
U.S. theatrical release JULY 28, 2017
From Well Go USA’s site:
July 28, 2017
NEW YORK CITY
AMC Empire 25
234 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
College Point Multiplex Cinemas
2855 Ulmer St
Flushing, NY 11354
LOS ANGELES
AMC Atlantic Times Square
450 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 407-0240
AMC Puente Hills 20
1560 South Azusa Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91748
AMC Orange 30
20 City Blvd W
Orange, CA 92868
(909) 476-1234
AMC Tustin 14 at The District
2457 Park Ave
Tustin, CA 92782
(714) 258-7036
ATLANTA
Regal Cinemas Hollywood 24
3265 Northeast Expy NE
Chamblee, GA 30341
(844) 462-7342
INDIANAPOLIS
AMC Showplace Bloomington 11
1351 S College Mall Rd
Bloomington, IN 47401
CHICAGO
AMC River East 21
322 East Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 596-0333
COLUMBUS
AMC Lennox Town Center 24
777 Kinnear Rd
Columbus, OH 43212
DALLAS
AMC Grapevine Mills 30
3150 Grapevine Mills Parkway
Grapevine, TX 76051
(972) 539-5909
WASHINGTON, D.C.
AMC Loews Rio Cinemas 18
9811 Washingtonian Ctr
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Regal Cinemas Rockville Center 13
199 E Montgomery Ave
Rockville, MD 20850
EUGENE
Regal Cinemas Valley River Center 15 & IMAX
500 Valley River Center
Eugene, OR 9740
(844) 462-7342
HAWAII
Regal Dole Cannery
735 Iwilei Rd
Honolulu, HI 96817
(844) 462-7342
Consolidated Theatres Kapolei
890 Kamokila Blvd #107
Kapolei, HI 96707
(808) 674-8031
Pearlridge West 16
98-1005 Moanalua Road
Aiea, HI 96701
(808) 483-5339
HOUSTON
AMC Studio 30
2949 Dunvale
Houston, TX 77063
(713) 977-4431
Edwards Houston Marq’e Stadium 23 & IMAX
7620 Katy Fwy
Houston, TX 77024
(844) 462-7342
LAS VEGAS
AMC Town Square 18
6587 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 362-7283
MIAMI
AMC Sunset Place 24
5701 Sunset Dr #300
South Miami, FL 33143
(305) 740-8904
PHILADELPHIA
AMC Cherry Hill 24
2121 NJ-38
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
(856) 486-7420
UA Riverview Plaza Stadium 17
1400 S Christopher Columbus Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19147
PITTSBURGH
AMC Waterfront
300 West Waterfront Dr.
West Homestead, PA 15120
PHOENIX
AMC Centerpoint 11
730 South Mill Ave
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 207-2534
SAN DIEGO
AMC Mission Valley 20
1640 Camino Del Rio N
San Diego, CA 92108
SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA
AMC Metreon 16
135 4th St Suite 3000
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 369-6207
AMC Cupertino Square 16
10123 N Wolfe Rd
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 252-5960
SACRAMENTO
UA Laguna Village 12
8755 Center Pkwy
Sacramento, CA 95823
(844) 462-7342
Opens this Friday
Here’s the U.S. trailer, same as the one above, but with subtitles.
Massive $131M Debut
China Box Office Roars Back to Life as ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ Makes Massive $130M Debut
12:24 AM PDT 7/31/2017 by Patrick Brzeski
Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
‘Wolf Warrior 2’
‘Captain America’ directors Joe and Anthony Russo consulted on the action film, which handily outperformed a propaganda film during the summer season when China blocks international competition from the market.
After a lackluster series of months, the Chinese film industry finally has a homegrown summer blockbuster on its hands.
Actor-director Wu Jing’s Wolf Warrior 2, a sequel to his 2015 film of the same name, opened Thursday to $15 million before pulling in an enormous $131 million over the weekend.
The action flick surpassed the first Wolf Warrior film’s entire $86 million run in less than three days, while dominating The Founding of an Army, the much-hyped state propaganda film about the establishment of the People’s Liberation Army, which also opened Thursday.
Produced by former China Film Group boss Han Sanping and directed by Hong Kong’s Andrew Lau, The Founding of an Army debuted to just $5.6 million, despite getting nearly twice as many screenings as Wolf Warrior (about 69,000 showings compared with 38,000, respectively). As Wolf Warrior proceeded to pull further and further ahead, cinema managers began to disregard official instructions from Beijing’s media regulators to give the propaganda flick heavy play. On Friday, Wolf Warrior received 113,000 showings and earned $31.6 million, compared to 94,000 showings and $8 million in ticket sales for Army; by Sunday, Wolf Warrior was way out ahead with 133,000 showings for $53.7 million, over 81,000 showings for $8 million by Army.
Hollywood is conspicuously absent from the Middle Kingdom this month, thanks to China’s usual policy of blocking international competition from the market during the busy summer blockbuster season. But traces of the U.S. industry’s fingerprints could still be detected within Wolf Warrior 2’s success. Marvel mainstays Joe and Anthony Russo, co-directors of the Captain America franchise, consulted on the film via their Chinese studio venture Anthem & Song, which has strategic partnership with Beijing Culture Media Company, one of the local production companies behind Wolf Warrior. The Russos introduced some of their usual stunt team, led by veteran action coordinator Sam Hargrave (Captain America: Civil War, Atomic Blonde), to boost the quality and intensity of the film’s fight sequences.
Wolf Warrior 2 stars Wu as a former Chinese Special Forces operative who is drawn out of retirement to battle bloodthirsty American mercenaries during an African revolution. American actor Frank Grillo (Captain America), also a Russo Brothers regular, co-stars as the film’s baddie, while Hong Kong’s Celina Jade plays the female lead.
Lingering in the marketplace since its pre-Hollywood blackout release last month, Universal’s Despicable Me 3 landed in third place for the weekend, earning $3.7 million. After four weeks on Chinese screens, the film has earned $146 million.
The next major international title to hit the Chinese market will be Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets on Aug. 25, a week before Dunkirk bows Sept. 1 and Spider-Man: Homecoming spins its web across the Middle Kingdom on Sept. 8.
I can’t wait to see this now. I hope it stays in theaters for a few weeks because I won’t be able to get out to it for a while.
Imagine, a Hollywood action coordinator schooling a PRC stunt team on how it’s done. That’s just awesome.
China’s biggest ever hit
Although I didn’t really care for Wolf Warrior 1, I suspect I’ll enjoy Wolf Warrior 2 more than I enjoyed The Mermaid.
Wolf Warrior 2 beats The Mermaid to become Chinas biggest ever hit at the box office
Patriotic action movie breaks Hong Kong fantasy romances record for takings in mainland cinemas just 12 days after release
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 08 August, 2017, 11:36am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 08 August, 2017, 3:25pm
Mandy Zuo
mandy.zuo@scmp.com
The action movie Wolf Warrior 2, the release of which coincides with the 90th anniversary of the Peoples Liberation Army, had taken 3.4 billion yuan (US$505.9 million) at the mainland box office by the end of Monday, beating the 3.39 billion record set by the Hong Kong fantasy romance The Mermaid last year.
The film, which stars martial artist Wu Jing, who also directed and co-wrote it, has proved to be a hit since its release on July 27 thanks to a screenplay that promotes nationalism and features Hollywood-like production values, local audiences say.
It has also made history with box office takings of over 200 million yuan every single day since the release.
Wu Jing, who directed and starred in the film, said there was a market for patriotism in Chinese cinema. Photo: Handout
In previous interviews with mainland media, Wu explained its success by saying: Patriotism has been hidden inside the audience for a long time, and this sentiment needs to be released via a film and a role.
The Hollywood directors Joe and Anthony Russo were consultants on the film and foreign actors including American Frank Grillo, who played the villain, and Hong Kong-American Celina Jade, playing the female lead, made it a departure from traditional patriotic movies.
Celina Jade, the female lead. Photo: Handout
Domestic films have been suffering a box drought since Lunar New Year. Some analysts argue that the high quality and crowd-pleasing film has come just in time for the industry.
Patriotic Chinese blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2 packs a Hollywood-style punch at the box office
The first Wolf Warrior, released in 2015, grossed US$89 million in China. With similar nationalistic messages, it tells the story of a special forces officer, played by Wu, fighting foreign mercenaries hired by a drug lord in Xinjiang.
$571 million after 14 days
I was hoping to catch this in the theaters but I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. Well Go USA usually offers me a screener, maybe even a sweepstakes and typically it comes to Netflix eventually.
China Box Office: ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ Smashes All-Time Record With $571M Haul
2:33 AM PDT 8/10/2017 by Abid Rahman
Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
‘Wolf Warrior 2’
The action movie, the biggest beneficiary of the summer blackout of Hollywood films in China, eclipsed the mark held by Stephen Chow’s ‘The Mermaid.’
Wolf Warrior 2 became the biggest grossing film ever at the Chinese box office after collecting a massive $571 million after 14 days.
The action movie took the crown from Stephen Chow’s fantasy phenomenon The Mermaid, which earned $527 million during its theatrical run last year. Wolf Warrior 2 also relegated The Fate of the Furious, the most successful Hollywood title in China ever, down to third place.
Wolf Warrior 2 started big with a $130 million debut, but it has really turned heads with its second weekend gross of $161 million.
Wolf Warrior 2’s performance is even starker as the first film in the franchise, released in 2015, made a so-so $89.1 million. Moreover, the film was released in the summer months in China, not traditionally seen as a period to make box office hay. The Chinese New Year holiday season, which usually falls in late January and early February, is still the most lucrative period in the release calendar and can turbo charge earnings as it did for The Mermaid did in 2016 and Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu Yoga ($252 million) earlier this year.
Despite its summer release, Wolf Warrior 2 has been the biggest beneficiary of the summer blackout of Hollywood films in China, an attempt by the authorities to give local productions a clear run. But the lack of foreign competition alone doesn’t account for the stellar success of Wolf Warrior 2, judging by social media engagement the film has struck a chord with Chinese audiences with its overt patriotism and intense and top-quality action scenes.
Written, directed, produced and starring Wu Jing, the film reportedly cost $30 million to make and co-stars Hong Konger Celina Jade and token Hollywood import Frank Grillo (an upgrade on Scott Adkins from the first film). The action takes place in Africa, where a team of Chinese special forces is tasked with freeing their compatriots being held by mercenaries.
An undoubted domestic triumph, there are Hollywood fingerprints on the film. Joe and Anthony Russo, co-directors of the Captain America franchise and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, were consultants on the film via their Chinese studio venture Anthem & Song, which has a strategic partnership with Beijing Culture Media Company, one of the local production companies behind Wolf Warrior 2. The Russos’ go-to stunt team, led by veteran action coordinator Sam Hargrave, were a key element behind the highly praised action and fight sequences in Wolf Warrior 2.
Likened to Rambo, Wolf Warriors 2 unashamedly harkens back to the testosterone- and patriotism-fuelled Hollywood films of the 1980s, but this time with a Chinese hero saving the day.
Moutai ganbei!
RisingTones
Moutai Thanks Hit Movie ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ for Free Advertising
Patriotic action flick has broken China’s all-time box office record.
Zhang Liping
Aug 08, 2017
Chinese box office hit “Wolf Warrior 2” has received a thank-you letter from the president of Kweichow Moutai, the country’s most famous brand of liquor, because of the hero’s propensity to take long swigs of the drink in-between saving the people around him.
The movie, which premiered July 27, tells the story of a former People’s Liberation Army soldier protecting Chinese citizens and local factory workers in an African war zone.
The patriotic overtones have proven popular with audiences. As of Tuesday, “Wolf Warrior 2” has earned more than 3.4 billion yuan ($507 million), breaking China’s all-time box office record, set last year by Hong Kong comedy “The Mermaid.” Wu Jing, 43, both starred in and directed “Wolf Warrior 2,” whose prequel earned 525 million yuan in 2015.
On Monday, Yuan Renguo, president of Kweichow Moutai Co. Ltd., congratulated Wu on his success in an open letter on the company’s website. “The movie has hit a new record and become a phenomenon,” Yuan wrote. “The movie is now synonymous with patriotism.”
Kweichow Moutai’s brand of liquor, a premium type of baijiu, or Chinese sorghum liquor, appears in the movie four times. The drink is given about a minute of screen time in total — advertising that the company did not pay for, Yuan said in his letter.
“Your free placement of Moutai, the national liquor, in the movie has once more allowed this famous Chinese brand to impress the world,” Yuan wrote.
A still frame from the film ‘Wolf Warrior II’ shows actor Wu Jing drinking Moutai liquor.
Kweichow Moutai was once favored by Chinese officials but saw its sales drop following President Xi Jinping’s campaign against government extravagance, which launched in 2013. But the liquor maker has started to make a comeback this year: While the company’s production levels have not yet fully recovered, its stock price is on the rise.
Yuan also added that the company had organized screenings of the film for its 30,000 employees, which he said boosted their feelings of nationalism and “company cohesion.”
Many moviegoers also said they were impressed by the patriotic plot of “Wolf Warrior 2.” Tong Yemeng, a 32-year-old office worker from Beijing, told Sixth Tone that she watched the film because of positive reviews from her colleagues and on social media. “I felt so moved and proud of my country when I saw Wu Jing waving the national flag in the war zone,” she said. “It showed our increasing national power.”
Kong Mingzhe, a film enthusiast from Shanghai, told Sixth Tone that the patriotism of “Wolf Warrior 2” was not as over-the-top as in other movies. “Since we are still 20 years behind Hollywood action movies,” he said, “it’s good to see we have such a movie today.”
The movie’s patriotic success can be attributed to its timing, Qian Lijun, a Beijing-based marketing executive, told Sixth Tone. He pointed out that “Wolf Warrior 2” hit cinemas as India and China were involved in a border dispute, as the central government is promoting its international Belt and Road Initiative, and as the People’s Liberation Army celebrated its 90th anniversary.
Qian theorized that the movie serves as an outlet for people’s nationalistic feelings. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t have such a big impact,” he said.
Editor: Kevin Schoenmakers.
(Header image: A still frame from the film ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ shows actor Wu Jing shooting at his enemies. IC)
I missed Baijiu day (8/9 = ba jiu) this year but maybe I can celebrate by just watching Wolf Warrior 2?
Wolf Warrior 2
I’m just going to launch this thread already (giving the BO, part 3 will surely happen) and copy it to Wolf Warrior 2 and the Adventurers.
Headlines from China: Andy Lau Expressed His Interest in Playing in ‘Wolf Warriors 3’
BY CHINAFILMINSIDER AUG 11, 2017
Andy Lau Expressed His Interest in Playing in Wolf Warriors 3
In a recent interview, Hong Kong movie star Andy Lau talked about his upcoming movie The Adventurers, his previous hit movie Infernal Affairs, and the Chinese film market. When Andy was asked about Infernal Affairs, he said that none of the Hong Kong action movies produced over the past 15 years achieved the level of success Infernal Affairs achieved, and co-production might have been one of the important reasons, as co-produced movies try to cater to audiences from different cultures and restrict filmmakers’ creative freedom. In addition, Andy commended on the uncertain nature of the movie industry, saying that he is not sure if he will be invited to play in Wolf Warriors 3, but he will be prepared.
And for reference, here’s Wolf Warrior 1.
Seen
I caught this on Friday and enjoyed the ultravi. I’ll have a personal review up later.
Media & Entertainment #BoxOffice
AUG 14, 2017 @ 03:00 PM
Box Office: ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ Cracks 100 All-Time Biggest Grossers List
Scott Mendelson , CONTRIBUTOR
I cover the film industry.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Well Go USA Entertainment
‘Wolf Warrior 2’
Wolf Warrior 2 has now earned $685 million after earning $83m over its third Fri-Sun frame in China. That’s a mere drop of 50% from last weekend’s record-crushing $162m Fri-Sun frame and down just 41% from its opening weekend of $141m two weeks ago. Yes, the Chinese action sequel made more money in its second weekend than in its opening weekend. Moreover, that $162m Fri-Sun cume was the biggest non-opening weekend ever, ahead of The Force Awakens’ $149m in Christmas of 2015. Sadly, the $83m third frame was below Force Awakens’ $90m third weekend, so no new records there.
The film has earned $683 million in China after 17 days (including Thursday previews), along with $2m in North America on just 32 screens. So, here’s the gist: The film is now the first non-Hollywood release ever to crack the top-100 list of all-time biggest global box office champions. And with around $680m, it is now in 99th place, between Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation ($682.7m in 2015) and The Hunger Games ($694.7m in 2012). I don’t have Monday numbers at the moment (thanks to time zone magic, today is technically Tuesday in China), but if it hasn’t crossed $700m in China already, it will in a day or two.
Speaking of which, with a relative downturn in that third weekend, which would still be insanely leggy for any other movie of this scale, the film is probably not going to catch the $937 million North American gross of Star Wars: The Force Awakens or the worldwide total of Universal/Comcast Corp.'s Despicable Me 3 ($921m-and-counting) to win the summer. But with $680m+ and counting, it is already the third-biggest single-territory gross in history, behind only the North American totals of Avatar ($760m in 2009/2010) and The Force Awakens ($937m in 2015/2016).
By the way, if you don’t count the online ticketing fees that have only recently been included in the respective Chinese box office, then the film actually sits in fifth place in single-territory grosses, with $644 million, or behind Jurassic World ($652m in 2015), Titanic ($658m in 1997/1998 and then 2012) and the other two aforementioned biggies.
But even with that Roger Maris asterisk, it’s all-but-certain to end up in second place behind Walt Disney’s Star Wars sequel when all is said and done. Heck, it’s entirely possible that it will be the biggest-grossing single-territory earner of 2017, as there is no guarantee that Star Wars: The Last Jedi will reach the $800-$850m final total of Wolf Warrior 2’s China run via its North American sprint. But that’s a conversation for another day.
One fun milestone that the Wu Jing action spectacular has already notched is essentially becoming the biggest “part 1 to part 2” jump for any modern sequel where both films played in somewhat wide release. Wolf Warrior 2 has earned $685 million thus far, which is 7.7x the $89m Chinese total of Wolf Warrior back in 2015. If you look at North American sequel jumps, that’s ahead of the likes of Austin Powers ($54m for International Man of Mystery/$204m for The Spy Who Shagged Me) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($39m/$204m) and The Dark Knight ($205m/$534m).
The only two bigger such jumps were for Boondock Saints ($30,471 in five theaters vs. $10.2m for Boondock Saints II in 524 theaters nine years later) and Robert Rodiguez’s gunslinger series ($2m for El Mariachi on 88 screens vs. $25m for Desperado on 2,027 screens). But as you can see, those franchises began as limited runs and went wide for the sequel. Otherwise, Wolf Warrior 2 has taken the biggest such jump for any wide release film (in North America or elsewhere) that I can find.
So, that’s enough for one update. It is all-but-certain that Wolf Warrior 2 will become the second film in history to earned $800 million in a single territory. So now the only questions are how far it’ll go, how well Wolf Warrior 3 will perform and how the almost inevitable English-language, PG-13 remake will play out.
first forum review coming…
Yes, I did see this last Friday and I will review it here soon. And spoiler alert - I enjoyed it thoroughly. But given it’s popularity in China, it did give me pause. These articles touche on some issues that crossed my mind too.
Wolf Warrior movie is a wake-up call too
China’s new-found confidence is well reflected in the entertaining hit move Wolf Warrior 2, though the stereotypes and generalisation in it have the potential to stir dangerous nationalistic feelings
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 13 August, 2017, 12:57am
UPDATED : Sunday, 13 August, 2017, 12:57am
China’s new-found place in the world was bound to be eventually reflected in its movies. Chinese audiences have resoundingly taken to the idea, propelling the action film Wolf Warrior 2 into the box-office stratosphere. In a matter of weeks, it has broken all records, crowds in part drawn by the Hollywood-style production elements of fast pace and impressive stunts. But its success can also be put down to national pride, patriotism and recent messages from President Xi Jinping about the nation’s might.
Wolf Warrior 2 was released as the People’s Liberation Army was celebrating its 90th anniversary. The displays of latest-generation naval vessels, aircraft and weapons and the claims by leaders that the military was primed to repel any threat were fresh in the minds of audiences. The on-screen exploits that then unfolded of a tough-guy former soldier who travels to an unspecified African country on special operations to rescue Chinese citizens from Western mercenaries and protect locals was therefore a perfect fit. It also reflected a measure of reality; that three decades of Chinese economic growth and development have led to rising power and influence around the world.
The reason for Wolf Warrior 2’s runaway success in China is what’s keeping Western viewers away
The movie’s hero, Leng Feng, played by the mainland’s first action superstar, Wu Jing, expertly translates those changes onto the big screen. Leng is in the mould of Western fictional characters like James Bond and John Rambo and, like them, he is deeply patriotic for his country and what it stands for, no matter how much he has been wronged. Those rescued have the highest praise for his heroic deeds and superhuman fighting skills. The idea is the same as that articulated in countless Hollywood war and action films, only with a Chinese focus: that China is strong, able to protect Chinese and others anywhere in the world, will act in the best interests of the downtrodden and has to be alert to those eager to exploit.
As Wu’s film shows, that is obviously what mainland audiences proud of the nation’s rise and achievements want to see. Movies are not reality, though, and in a format like that of Wolf Warrior 2, are bound to exaggerate. But while such a blockbuster is highly entertaining, it also, through stereotypes and generalisation, has the potential to stir nationalist feelings. Unchecked, that can lead to arrogance and racism.
There is nothing wrong with being patriotic and loving one’s country. But coupled with a belief that no nation is better and a “them against us” mentality, there is the risk of poor relations with outsiders and domestic instability as a result of finger-pointing. Wolf Warrior 2 reflects China’s growing confidence, but it should also serve as a wake-up call.
China’s Wolf Warriors 2 in ‘war-ravaged Africa’ gives the White Savior complex a whole new meaning
Saving the day. (Wolf Warrior)
WRITTEN BY Lily Kuo
OBSESSION China in Africa
August 14, 2017 Quartz Africa
In the film Wolf Warriors 2, Leng Feng, a former special forces operative, is on a one-man mission to save Chinese nationals and innocent locals from local rebels and mercenaries in a generic African country. In the film’s trailer, a jeep trawls through a green savannah, passing two lions. African workers dancing around a bonfire at an apparently Chinese-financed factory are attacked by white mercenaries. A busy throughway in a market town comes under fire. Leng, armed with a knife and his martial arts skills, arrives at a compound, telling its occupants, “I’m here to save you.”
Wolf Warriors 2 is now China’s highest grossing film ever, having earned $687.5 million in its first two weeks, takes place on a continent where China’s military muscle and status as a global power are increasingly on display.
The film is a first in other ways. Leng, played by the Chinese action actor Wu Jing, is China’s own version of the White Savior. A Wikipedia entry, referring to American movies, describes the White Savior narrative as “a cinematic trope portraying a white character rescuing people of color from their plight.”
On a mission. (Wolf Warriors 2/Douban)
Leng, a Rambo-style lone wolf fighter who miraculously dodges bullets and uses a mattress to stop a grenade, is charged with getting the adopted African child of a slain Chinese doctor to safety. He’s the first to survive a disease called “lamania” that has killed many locals, thanks to the doctor who discovered the cure before his death.
China has long framed its partnerships in Africa as alliances of equals, built around mutual economic benefit. Now, China is stepping up its role as a humanitarian actor and protector of world peace. Earlier this month, China opened its first overseas military base, in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. It has 700 peacekeepers in South Sudan where it is also sending medical teams and food supplies.
Wolf Warrior 2, China’s highest grossing film ever, takes place in generic “war-ravaged Africa.”
A screenshot of the official trailer for Wolf Warrior 2. (Youtube/HK Cinema)
When two Chinese peacekeepers were killed in fighting in South Sudan last year, Chinese officials and media described the men as heroes and their deaths as the price of China’s new status($) as a major power. Despite concerns about the experience and capabilities of Chinese peacekeepers, Chinese president Xi Jinping has pledged to increase China’s peacekeeping force to 8,000 troops, from the 2,600 deployed today.
Like many Western films before it, the specifics of the African setting of Wolf Warriors 2 are irrelevant. The film was mostly shot in China and in Soweto in South Africa, but no country is ever named. Leng’s colleagues say they like Africa because of its good food, scenery, attractive women, and the opportunity to use their weapons.
Reaction to the film in China has been mixed, we reported earlier this week, with the film receiving only 7.5 out of 10 on the film portal Douban. Commenters called the movie’s appeal to a sense of patriotism “phony” and testosterone-fueled. “The film tells us Chinese people can also save the world,” one commentator said.
Second-Biggest Single-Market Film Ever After ‘Force Awakens’
Wolf Warrior 2 continues to dominate - plus some news on Sha Po Lang 3: Paradox
Doubt it’ll catch Force Awakens though.
China Box Office: ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ Becomes Second-Biggest Single-Market Film Ever After ‘Force Awakens’
8:14 PM PDT 8/20/2017 by Patrick Brzeski
Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
‘Wolf Warrior 2’
The Chinese juggernaut climbed to $769 million and nudged aside ‘Avatar’ in the single-territory charts, with only ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ having earned more from one territory.
Wolf Warrior 2 devoured the competition for a fourth consecutive weekend at the Chinese box office.
The runaway action phenomenon, starring and directed by Wu Jing, added $35.7 million, lifting its local total to an astonishing $768.5 million after 25 days. The blockbuster also climbed higher in the all-time record books, nudging aside Avatar ($760.5 million) to become the second-biggest film ever in a single market. Only Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned more from one territory (($936.7 million, North America).
Hong Kong-Chinese genre vehicle Paradox the third film in Wilson Yip’s SPL action franchise came closest to unseating Wolf Warriors to date, earning $31.6 million from Friday to Sunday. The crime film, which stars Louis Koo and Thailand’s Tony Jaa, opened Thursday and actually topped Wolf Warriors on its first two days. But it quickly fell far behind on Saturday and Sunday to finished the weekend in second place. The film’s Thursday-to-Sunday debut totaled $41.4 million, just a notch below the $43.4 million four-day opening of its predecessor, SPL II: A Time for Consequences (2015).
Twenty Two, a documentary about the lives of the last surviving Chinese women who experienced forced prostitution at the hands of the Japanese military during WWII, opened Monday (Aug. 14) with just $610,000. But heavy buzz on social media helped the film expand throughout the week, lifting it to third for the weekend with $9 million. By Sunday, Twenty Two’s six-day total sat at $18.6 million an uncommonly strong showing for a nonfiction film in China.
Other new releases included iQiyi Pictures’ animated franchise title Seer Movie 6: Invincible Puni, which opened in fourth with $9.3 million, just ahead of Tencent’s animated sequel One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes 2 at $8.6 million.
China’s annual policy of blocking Hollywood releases during the late-summer blockbuster season known locally as “domestic film industry protection month” will come to a close this week when Luc Besson’s Valerian, Disney’s Cars 3 and Sony’s Baby Driver open simultaneously Friday.
A back-up plan? They need a general plan first.
Wolf Warrior 2 rekindled Chollywood’s rising.
Wolf Warrior 2 and the Future of Imported Films in China
By Matthew Dresden on August 21, 2017
POSTED IN CHINA BUSINESS, CHINA FILM INDUSTRY
What a wild ride it’s been for the Chinese film industry! Until July 27, it had been a year of one depressing story after another. Downward-trending box office, high-flying entertainment companies imploding, deals to purchase foreign assets falling through, the biggest movie studio on the planet sold to a real estate developer, the can’t miss co-production The Great Wall tanking. Even the Transformers franchise couldn’t save the day, with the latest installment performing well below expectations in China.
But on July 27, the action film Wolf Warrior 2 opened, and within 12 days of its release it had already become the highest-grossing film of all time in China. As of this writing the film has pulled in more than $720 million in China alone. The narratives are almost writing themselves, with pundits trying to explain why Chinese people are going in droves to see a jingoistic film about a Chinese special forces operative in Africa.
I’m not going to wade into those waters except to note William Goldman’s aphorism that when it comes to the film business, “Nobody knows anything.” The phenomenal success of Wolf Warrior 2 was anything but a foregone conclusion. The first movie was a surprise hit, earning about $89 million, but it’s not like people were lining up Episode 1-style for a sequel. Back in May, Wolf Warrior 2 was pilloried online when it came to light that its trailer had lifted footage from X-Men: First Class. Moreover, Wolf Warrior 2 was released on the same date as the government-backed propaganda film The Founding of an Army, and the latter was allotted the lion’s share of screens.
This movie – this particular movie – couldn’t have come at a better time for China. Hollywood is in the midst of negotiating the terms of foreign (read: Hollywood) films’ market access to China. American studios find China’s protectionism exasperating on multiple levels, with the biggest complaints being (1) the quota system, which only allows 34 foreign films (largely US studio films) each year on a revenue-sharing basis (2) the low percentage of receipts allotted to the foreign studio (currently 25%) for such revenue-sharing films, and (3) the foreign studio’s inability to control the release date. The last point is more serious than might immediately be apparent – not only does the Chinese government determine when each film will be released (via a largely opaque process), it also imposes unofficial blackouts during which no new foreign films are allowed to be released.
Aside from discussions about WTO obligations and fair play, US studios’ best argument for expanding access to the Chinese film market has been an economic one: Chinese audiences want to see American movies (and don’t particularly want to see Chinese movies), and with thousands of new screens every year, Chinese movie theaters need movies people want to see. In other words, limiting the number of American movies hurts the Chinese economy.
Setting aside the fallacy that the Chinese government’s interests are aligned with those of Chinese theater owners, the success of Wolf Warrior 2 upends all of those arguments. Wolf Warrior 2 was released on the first day of a blackout period, and it is already the most successful movie in Chinese history. It is a Chinese-made movie, with purely (even exclusively) Chinese content, and Chinese theaters are raking in the money – and not having to send any of it overseas. The Chinese government will likely infer that Wolf Warrior 2’s success is not in spite of their protectionist policies, but because of them. And President Trump’s saber-rattling about a trade war isn’t likely to improve their attitude.
I certainly hope the U.S. negotiating team is able to make some headway, but U.S. studios and production companies shouldn’t assume anything. They need a backup plan, and right now the best one seems to be investing in and otherwise creating productions in China solely for the Chinese market. A number of studios and production companies are already going down this road, and I think it’s the smart play. Better to be an investor in the next Wolf Warrior than to be shut out completely.
backfired?
I’m sure Wu Jing is crying all the way to the bank.
Chinese netizens are so feckin catty. I imagine it’s because of the censorship.
Wu Jing made Wolf Warriors 2 for a measly 200 million yuan. The movie has now grossed 4 billion yuan at the box office. Photo: new.china.com
Chung Man
Aug 21, 2017 9:41am
How Wu Jing’s patriotic blockbuster backfired on him
Recently, the mega-hit Chinese action thriller Wolf Warriors 2 directed by and starring martial artist and actor Wu Jing has taken the mainland by storm and become a huge sensation among Chinese moviegoers.
The box office results indeed spoke volumes about how well-received the movie was: despite being a “B” movie with a budget of just 200 million yuan, Wolf Warriors 2 has so far grossed a whopping 4 billion yuan in box office across the country.
The story of Wolf Warriors 2 is set in today’s Africa, in which a People’s Liberation Army soldier, Leng Feng, played by Wu Jing manages to save, against all odds, the lives of hundreds of civilians during an armed rebellion orchestrated by “western villains” in an African country. In the movie, Wu Jing not only demonstrates extraordinary intelligence, bravery, gallantry as well as dazzling kung fu, but also remarkable patriotism.
One of Leng Feng’s most frequently spoken lines in the movie is: “Whoever dares to lay a finger on my beloved country, I’ll get them, no matter how far they are.”
And at the end of the movie, a string of words printed on a page of a mock-up Chinese passport is given a close-up shot, which reads: “no matter what kind of danger you have encountered overseas, remember, your mighty motherland always has your back.”
Apart from being packed with intense and nail-biting fight scenes, Wolf Warriors 2 also showcases a lot of China’s fancy and state-of-the-art weapons.
However, what truly makes the movie such a huge box office success is actually not its fight scenes and fancy weapons, but rather, the patriotic and nationalist themes it pitches, which have just hit exactly the right note with mainland viewers at a time when ultra-nationalist sentiment is prevailing across the nation.
Another crucial factor behind its commercial success is its endorsement by mainland officialdom because the film toes Beijing’s current hawkish patriotic line under President Xi Jinping.
However, as it turns out, ultra-nationalism is indeed a double-edged sword. While Wu Jing has made a lot of money with his movie that pitches ultra-nationalism, ironically he has also recently found himself at the receiving end of the patriotic emotions his movie has evoked.
At a recent public event, Wu once again recited the string of words that appeared at the end of his movie, and added that “the passport of the People’s Republic of China might not be able to bring you everywhere around the world, but it can certainly bring you home safe no matter where you are and what troubles you have run into.”
Yet, much to his surprise, Wu immediately came under fire from mainland netizens for being hypocritical, since, they pointed out, Wu himself has acquired the citizenship of Hong Kong, while his wife is a green card holder, not to mention that his son was born in the UK and is therefore a British citizen.
As some angry mainland netizens put it: “what a bloody nerve that a guy who has given up his Chinese citizenship is telling people to love their motherland.”
Worse still, after Wu had donated one million yuan to the victims of the recent Sichuan earthquake, he drew more ridicule and criticism from netizens, resulting in an open season on him online.
Many netizens accused Wu of being a penny-pincher because he had only donated one million yuan, which was peanuts compared to the big bucks he had made with his recent blockbuster.
There were also many others who mocked that he should have donated 100 million, 500 million yuan or even all the money made from the movie to the earthquake victims in order to prove that he is not just a patriot on the big screen, but also a genuine patriot in real life as well.
Amid the public ridicule, all Wu could do was bite the bullet and remain silent, as he was well aware that any rebuttal from him would only provoke further public backlash.
Many movie critics in the mainland have often compared Wu’s Wolf Warriors series to the First Blood series starring Sylvester Stallone in the 1980s.
Ironically, while Wu, the Chinese equivalent of Rambo, is always invincible on the big screen, in real life he turns out to be completely vulnerable and powerless in the face of the online lynching.
This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on Aug. 18
Translation by Alan Lee
a two-fer today
I’ve been waiting for this review, waiting for this other shoe to drop. The important distinction to make here is that Grillo et.al. play American mercenaries, former U.S. military but not active.
Anyone else see this yet aside from me?
August 22, 2017 2:03 pm
China’s biggest movie franchise is obsessed with killing Americans
“Wolf Warrior 2,” the biggest movie in China, has raked in $768.5 million at the box office since it debuted on July 28. That’s an incredible amount of money, far more than the domestic box office total for James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The $30 million film is the most successful one in Chinese history. It’s grossed 45 percent more than the last movie to bust that record, last year’s “The Mermaid,” which took in $527 million.
There’s one big difference between “The Mermaid” and “Wolf Warrior 2,” though: only one of them has American villains.
Films in the “Wolf Warrior” series have the conventional action movie setup: a lone, spectacularly-talented-and-potentially-flawed character takes on group of bad guys and beats them after a series of explosions and fight sequences.
But in both films, the villain is an American.
The original “Wolf Warrior” pitted action star Wu Jing against former Navy SEAL “Tom Cat,” played by Scott Atkins. Backed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Wu Jing’s character takes on Tom Cat, intent on assassinating him, as well as a plot to “smuggle blood samples out of China so that Western countries can ‘manufacture medicine and food products harmful to Chinese health based on their DNA.'”
In the sequel, Wu Jing goes to Africa to fight “Big Daddy,” an American mercenary who, at the peak of the fight, gets a knife to Wu’s throat and tells him “Get used to it. People like me will always be better than people like you.” Wu, countering, cuts Big Daddy’s throat and tells the cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking character “That’s ****ing history” as a line of cruise missiles fired by the Chinese Navy destroy Big Daddy’s forces.
American films, of course, have portrayed many nations as American adversaries, including China.
But that’s tempered in recent years; China has the second-largest market for films in the world, and the government restricts the number of foreign films that make it to screens in the country. Since they automatically blacklist films critical of the nation, some films (Transformers 4, for example) actually cast China in an openly positive light, hoping to be greenlit and well-distributed.
The remake of “Red Dawn” (2012) was the last major motion picture to cast a Chinese enemy.
Patrick McMahon, Rare Staff
Ha! We remember Red Dawn. The Chinese were NOT the enemy, at least not after some digital tweaks. This author needs to get his facts straight.
Grillo speaks
‘Wolf Warrior II’ Star Frank Grillo on How China’s $780M Blockbuster Was Made (Q&A)
10:10 PM PDT 8/22/2017 by Patrick Brzeski
Barry King/Getty Images
Frank Grillo
The megahit’s only American actor discusses becoming an overnight celebrity in the Middle Kingdom, why director Wu Jing is the “next global superstar” and what Hollywood can learn from the film’s success.
As Hollywood remains mired in a downturn at the North American box office, Chinese action movie Wolf Warrior II has firmly established itself as the blockbuster phenomenon of the summer.
With a budget of just $30 million, the film opened in China on July 27 and has earned an astonishing $780 million since. That makes it both China’s highest-grossing film ever (Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid now sits in a distant second at $527 million) and the second-biggest movie of all time in a single market, with only Star Wars: The Force Awakens having earned more from one territory ($936.7 million, North America).
Written by, directed by and starring Chinese martial artist Wu Jing, the film follows a former Chinese special-forces operative as he battles bloodthirsty Western mercenaries to protect Chinese civilians caught up in an African civil war. The central theme of the film — which is often likened to Rambo — is well encapsulated by the strident jingoism of its tagline: “Whoever offends China will be hunted down no matter how far away they are.”
Insiders point to two intertwined factors behind Wolf Warrior II’s profound resonance with the Chinese audience: Hollywood-caliber action coupled with a story about unrestrained pride in Chinese national identity.
The heavy dose of Hollywood came courtesy of Marvel mainstays Joe and Anthony Russo (co-directors of the Captain America franchise), who consulted on the project via their Chinese studio venture Anthem & Song, which has a strategic partnership with Beijing Culture Media, the film’s lead local producer. The Russos arranged for their usual stunt team, led by veteran stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave (The Avengers, Suicide Squad, The Hunger Games), to join the project and elevate its action. They also introduced the American actor who would play the film’s villain, Frank Grillo.
Grillo is a familiar face in Hollywood action projects, having played key parts in films like Warrior (2011), The Grey (2011) and the Purge franchise (2014-2016), as well as the villain Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But his starring role in Wolf Warrior II, which is set to cross $800 million next weekend, will probably come to be viewed as his biggest break to date.
Grillo plays the ruthless American mercenary Big Daddy, who faces off against Wu Jing in a final fight scene that even the film’s detractors have tended to praise as simply eye-popping.
“To say that Wu Jing has his thumb on the pulse on what the Chinese people need cinematically is a gross understatement,” says Grillo.
THR gave Grillo a call this week to ask him what it was like working on China’s biggest movie ever, how it feels to suddenly become an A-list star in the world’s most populous nation and why Hollywood should regard Wolf Warrior II as a wake-up call.
How did you originally get involved in this film?
Joe Russo had thrown my name in the hat, and they responded and came to me with this offer. And frankly, I was intrigued because it was Chinese. Everyone in Hollywood is trying to get into the Chinese market, or has tried and failed, or is already in co-productions. I think this is good business. I spoke with Wu Jing and absolutely fell in love with him, and it was a no-brainer. They were generous and terrific to talk to — so that’s it, I’m going to China.
What were your expectations going into the project, and what’s your reaction to the phenomenon it’s become?
I had very low expectations. I had seen the first film, and I thought it was cool in terms of the Chinese cinema I had seen. You know, having been involved in the Marvel world or even the Purge films, the production values are a bit higher on this side. I just thought, if it’s a solid success again in China, that will be great. And then this explosion happened. We just surpassed Avatar and we’re only behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the No. 2 movie in a single market in the history of cinema. So to say that Wu Jing has his thumb on the pulse of what the Chinese people need cinematically is a gross understatement. I’m blown away by it all.
It’s always hard to pinpoint precisely why a given movie connects with an audience. But what’s your take on why the Chinese have embraced this movie so strongly?
Not to be a jerky overblown actor guy, but I think it goes back to what we do as storytellers — how we continue legacies and pass on our history through storytelling. I think Wu Jing was aware of what he was doing; it’s no accident. There’s a consciousness that has been developing in China. Maybe it started in 2008 when the country started opening to the world and consumerism became a bigger part of the culture. People say this movie is nationalistic and it’s propaganda — and in a sense, it is. But this pride in China is real, and the audience wants to believe that being Chinese means something special. Wu Jing has touched upon something that the world needs to take note of and say, “Wow, this is interesting; this is something important.”
Particularly with what’s going on in our country, where it’s a mess. You can’t elect a clown and not expect a circus. I think a lot of Americans are trying to hang onto our own sense of dignity — we’re going back to look at videos of John F. Kennedy and trying to understand how to make some sense of what’s going on today.
continued next post
continued from previous post
What was your experience like on set, and how did it compare to film shoots in the U.S.?
Well, you know, there are no unions in China, and it’s not regulated in the same way movies are in Hollywood. So it was more of an independent feel — run and gun. But what the Russo brothers did was they implemented Sam Hargrave and his team, who are the best in the business in stunts, action and fighting. They elevated all of the action to the level that they’re used to, which is the standard of a Marvel movie — and that’s the top of the food chain. So it was great for me. I had friends there, and Wu Jing and the Chinese team were fantastic to work with — I had a wonderful experience.
How do you think this film will affect the course of your career, now that you’re a recognizable face to hundreds of millions of people in China?
This is the kind of business where a phone call or the right role can change the course of your life. It’s not unlike the lottery. I’ve gotten calls from people saying, “Right now you’re bigger than Matt Damon in China.” And I’m like, what?! I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s crazy to me that people are even saying it. I’m already in talks with Joe Russo to do something kind of Lethal Weapon-ish with a Chinese superstar. CAA has already put me together with a bunch of Chinese production companies. So, it’s absolutely already changed my career. I loved my experience in China, so if my star — whatever it is — has risen to a point that allows me to go and make more movies like this in China, I am in 1,000 percent.
Leading-question alert: In China, local movies have tended to beat Hollywood imports in the comedy and romance genres because Chinese viewers naturally want to see their own language and culture on the screen. But Hollywood has always dominated in the action and effects-heavy tentpole category. Wolf Warrior II is perhaps the first Chinese action flick with Hollywood-level production values — and it has outperformed any Hollywood movie ever there. Should U.S. studios be worried about their competitive edge?
Yeah, I do think they should be concerned. If Chinese studios hire the right experienced people — which their market can support now — Chinese action movies can compete head-to-head with Hollywood at the local box office. This movie shows that.
What should really worry Hollywood is when the next iteration of Chinese films starts showing signs of crossing over. Wolf Warrior II is amazing, and it’s done some business overseas, but it’s mostly a Chinese film for China. When directors like Joe Russo, who understand story from a very global perspective, start working more and more with Chinese filmmakers, you’ll start seeing Chinese films that connect with audiences all over Asia, Europe and South America — maybe even North America. That’s what will break China out of the home market and make them a big threat to Hollywood’s dominance. (Wolf Warrior II has earned $2.3 million in North America since its release on July 28. U.S. distributor The H Collective says it is planning to expand the release in the coming weeks because of audience curiosity over the film’s huge China performance.)
There’s obviously tremendous interest in Wu Jing now. What can you tell us about him?
I think he’s the next Jackie Chan. He’s that guy. He can do anything physical. He’s charming, handsome and smart. He understands filmmaking. He’s open, collaborative and fun to work with. I think this guy is the next global megastar.
What should people in the U.S. who don’t normally watch much Chinese cinema know about this film?
People from around the world who don’t live in China and don’t take in many Chinese movies — they should just see it. Because a movie that has resonated so deeply in a country of 1.3 billion people needs to be seen. Whether you agree with the politics or not, whether you think it’s up to snuff with other action movies or not, it’s part of history now. People should see it for themselves and try to understand it.
Solid interview with Frank Grillo. I think he comes off very eloquent on this and no one has insight like he does in this particular situation.
First forum review!
Okay, here’s that review I’ve been promising to post for two weeks. Gotta get it out before Birth of the Dragon so I’m catching up on forum reviews (see my Atomic Blonde review just posted minutes ago too).
Right. Wolf Warrior 2. Wow. What extraordinary ultravi. It is action packed - full auto tank battle explosion action. Wu Jing delivers some major gratuitous ultravi. It’s quick cut choreography, one cut, one action, the Russo style which isn’t really to my liking after being spoiled by those full-body long single shot fight sequences from classic Shaw Brothers films, but it’s still satisfying in its complexity. There’s a plot about rebels in Africa, and a plague, but that only serves to catch your breath. The rest is explosions and gunfire. Wu Jing can really move, giving his balletic gunplay an air of grace. There are themes of loyalty, racism, justice, revenge, but mostly patriotism. Gaping plot holes and absurd action (classic bad guys who can’t shoot the good guys even though they are running about without cover) but who cares? Just blow up more stuff. Wu Jing vs Grillo finale fight is gritty bloody fun. I’m still not sure what it says about the PRC now but I’m not going to think on that too hard for now. I’m going to defer to what Grillo said in his interview posted above. Grillo really earned my respect with that, and with this film.
The theater I saw it in was fairly full, which is rare because usually when I go to these U.S. theatrical showings, I’m one of the only people in the house. The predominantly Chinese audience applauded at the end.