Expectations Extend Far, Wide for The Great Wall

(Beijing) — Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China was built to resist attacks from bloodthirsty beasts, not barbarian invaders from the north — at least according to the film The Great Wall, the most expensive China-U.S. co-production to date, set to hit cinemas in China on Friday.

The $150 million historical fantasy, produced by U.S. company Legendary Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, started filming in January. The action-packed monster flick needs to devour nearly 3 billion yuan ($434 million) in box office in order to break even, based on the general rule in Chinese film circles that allots one-third of ticketing revenue to production companies.