HONG KONG -- "Flash Point," an actioner starring Donnie Yen and helmed by Wilson Yip, has set the Chinese box office alight. Pic grossed RMB15 million ($1.98 million) in its first 3 days of release, according to its Hong Kong production and sales house Mandarin Films.
Flashpoint with Donnie Yen doing well in Mainland China.
SEOUL – Effects-heavy monster movie "D-War" has grossed a jaw-dropping $20.3 million in South Korea in its first five days, according to distributor Showbox.
Cume to Sunday of 2.95 million admissions just narrowly missed breaking the opening week record of 3.17 million admissions set by Showbox release "The Host" a year ago. "D-War" is currently playing on 689 screens, up from 503 on Wednesday.
Pic has set off a virtual culture war in Korea, with fervant fans waging an internet battle against critics and other viewers who panned the film. English-lingo feature about a giant snake that smashes up Los Angeles will open in the U.S. on September 14 through Freestyle Releasing under the name "Dragon Wars".
Attention is now being focused on whether mega-budgeted film will actually turn a profit. Budget is cited as $33 million, not including the procural and operation of f/x equipment and screenplay development costs which reportedly push budget to $75 million. Rumors have abounded that distributor Showbox has virtually staked its future on the film's success.
D-Wars makes a ton of money! Yes, thats what I said.
