“Warcraft” advance ticket sales in China totaled an impressive $20.4 million on Monday, two days before the launch of the fantasy-adventure.
“Warcraft” brought in the third-highest midnight pre-sales total for China behind “Furious 7” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
Imax pre-sales for “Warcraft” have already reached a record $6 million in China, far ahead of the $3.7 million for “Captain America: Civil War” on the day before opening. It’s also sold out all of the 285 Imax midnight screenings with $825,000 in advance sales, surpassing the $810,000 record for “Furious 7.”
“Warcraft” grossed $29.9 million from 28 territories this weekend, fourth on the charts, to bring its worldwide haul to $70 million after two weeks of release. Russia is the top territory with $17.3 million, followed by Germany with $10 million and France at $7.8 million.
The international performance will be especially key for Universal and Legendary, which spent $160 million to produce “Warcraft.” The tentpole will open June 10 in the U.S., where it’s currently on pace for an opening weekend of less than $25 million, which will likely place it behind the launches of “The Conjuring 2” and “Now You See Me 2.”
Based on Blizzard Entertainment’s multi-player fantasy game, the videogame adaptation began its international launch on May 25 and will open in 37 more territories over the next two months. “Warcraft,” directed by Duncan Jones, is the first major release from Legendary Entertainment since it was acquired by China powerhouse Dalian Wanda in January for $3.5 billion.
Starring Travis Fimmel, Dominic Cooper, Robert Kazinsky, Toby Kebbell, Ben Foster, and Ruth Negga, the movie is set in the peaceful realm of Azeroth, which stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. It was produced by Charles Roven through his Atlas Entertainment banner.
