Hollywood loves China, and not just because it’s increasingly becoming a valuable and vital box office market. Audiences in the country can also give life to a film that might have underperformed elsewhere. The big example this year is “Warcraft” which earned a staggering $220 million in the country, well above the $47 million it scraped up in the U.S. More recently is “Mechanic: Resurrection,” which opened in China this week and not only handily beat “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” but tallied up $24.3 million, more than it earned in the U.S. on its opening weekend. And then there’s “Terminator Genisys,” which scored $113 million in the country, well above the $89 million haul the rebootquel earned in the U.S., and it’s a statistic that clearly hasn’t escaped Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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The actor has signed up to star and produce “The Guest of Sanxingdui.” The 3D project will apparently boast a $200 million budget, and tell the story of ancient culture of Sanxingdui, with the actor currently the ambassador to 3,000 year old ruins that are located in Guanghan City, and are said to be a window in the Shu Kingdom. And you can bet with that pricetag, the aim for the movie is to have global appeal.
The director of the movie hasn’t yet been named, but production is slated to start next spring, with a 2019 release date eyed. Let’s just hope its money well spent. [CRI via Daily Mail]