Regardless of how Hollywood blockbusters may perform in the U.S., China’s place in the movie business is continuing the grow. Duncan Jones’ Warcraft flopped domestically back in June, but after the film opened in China, its box office earnings went through the roof. Then, the Ghostbusters reboot was denied access by China to be shown in their theaters, which has already hurt the film’s chances of ending in the green. Like it or not, the country has a lot of impact on how well U.S. films will do overseas. And China’s newest film, The Great Wall, might just flip the entire game on its head.
Starring Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe, The Great Wall tells a wonderful fantasy story surrounding the building China’s greatest construction. Shot entirely in China, The Great Wall is the country’s most expensive film to date. And with the film hitting theaters next February, the first trailer has just hit (via EW). The footage shows Damon as a courageous soldier who joins with the men beside him to repel a mystical threat that has attacked The Great Wall.
It looks thrilling, especially with Damon in the lead role. It remains to be seen how the film does with U.S. audiences, although it will surely be a huge hit in China. And until we see more, there’s plenty of unanswered questions that we are left with after this first look. But either way, we are in for quite a treat.
The Great Wall opens in theaters on February 17, 2017.