China sales help Warcraft top list of game-based films

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Warcraft's success in China has propelled it to the top of the list of game-based films

21 June 2016

Warcraft has become the highest grossing film based on a video game.

Since its general release two weeks ago, the film has sold more than $378m (£258m) of tickets around the world,

The second highest grossing game-based film, Prince of Persia (2010), made about $336m in cinemas, over 17 weeks.

Most of Warcraft's ticket sales, $205m, have been in China, where the online version of the game, World of Warcraft, has long had a very loyal following.

The film has also proved popular in Germany, Russia and France and has made about $340m of its total receipts from filmgoers outside the US, where it made 73% less money in its second week on release than during the preceding seven days and has a 32% rating from film critics on Metacritic.

Angry Birds - another game-based movie - has made about $327m since its release earlier this year.

Rick Marshall, at tech news site Digital Trends, : "While the US is still home to the largest movie market in the world, a film's performance overseas is rapidly becoming a more substantial factor in determining its overall success."

China is currently the world's second largest film market.

Legendary Pictures, the studio that bankrolled Warcraft, was bought by the Chinese Dalian Wanda group of companies in January for $3.5bn.