Warcraft's opening box office was a very different story depending on which you country you were in. However, the numbers for the second weekend have much more in common. Wherever you are, the numbers are seriously down. In both China, where Warcraft opened huge, and the United States, where it did not, Warcraft has seen a significant decline in its second weekend at the global box office.
In its first weekend in China, Warcraft put up an impressive $65 million as part of a 12-day streak that passed the $200 million mark. However, now, in the film's second weekend of release, The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Warcraft was only able to put up $23.5 million, a decline of 64%. While it's virtually impossible for a movie that puts up big numbers in the first weekend to avoid a significant decline in week two, the news isn't any better in the United States. If there could have been a silver lining to the film's disappointing $24 million opening, it was that a significant decline in those smaller numbers seemed less likely. Unfortunately, it didn't play out that way, as Warcraft only brought in an estimated six and a half million dollars. The percentage of decline is actually higher in the United States (roughly 73%) since the starting point was lower.
While the box office has been an overall rough environment this summer in the U.S., in China, the entire year has been a rollercoaster. All the major Hollywood releases that have seen massive openings have seen equally massive crashes. Only Disney's Zootopia was able to avoid the trend. That film even saw a second-weekend increase over its opening. Zootopia went on to be the top foreign release for 2016 so far in China with $235 million. Warcraft has currently grossed $205 million, but with Independence Day: Resurgence about to bow, it's viewed as unlikely that Warcraft will be able to break that record.
Even with Warcraft on the downswing, the movie was still able to put up impressive numbers on a global scale. Warcraft currently sits at $377 million in total box office, which is good enough for 10th place for the year, it's also significantly ahead of the reported production budget so Warcraft likely brought in a tidy little profit for Universal Pictures.
Time will tell if the film's overall success will lead to future installments of the franchise. There is clearly an audience for Warcraft. However, it appears that the United States may not be it. This could lead to many interesting developments if a sequel is ever given the go ahead.
