Although it did not gain a massive response in the US, Dwayne Johnson's latest movie "Skyscraper" gets huge response in China.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Skyscraper opened at the No. 1 spot in the Asian market and brought in almost $48 million during in its Chinese debut. The earning was added to the almost $28 million the movie made in other foreign markets in other countries around the world. The movie brought in roughly $75 million internationally this past weekend.
In the US, it opened in third place (behind Hotel Transylvania 3 and Ant-Man and The Wasp) with merely $25 million in revenue. Currently, it is the lowest opening for any of Johnson's films.
Though it is not particularly surprising to see that "Skyscraper" has performed as well as it did in the Chinese market. After all, the film specifically takes place in the Chinese metropolis of Hong Kong and features a cast that is largely comprised of Chinese actors to help round out its supporting ensemble. Johnson is also a big star in China and his previous films like 'Rampage' and 'Furious 7' had raked in a lot of revenue.
Role of the Chinese Market
The Chinese market has become a progressively important market for Hollywood to make money back on blockbuster films in recent years, with some movies that failed in the United States actually making much stronger impressions in the Asian market. "Terminator Genisys" was a great example of this phenomenon, and now it looks like "Skyscraper" will have to lean hard on the Chinese consumers to help make its money back.
"Skyscraper" centers on Will Swayer (The Rock), an FBI hostage rescue specialist who retires to start his own security company after an IED claims one of his legs. Years after that incident, Sawyer finds himself forced to race against time to save his family when terrorist take over a massive high rise in China and threaten to burn it to the ground.
