The latest attempt to jump-start the video game movie renaissance is Tomb Raider, which hit theaters this weekend. Despite a valiant effort, the film still came up short at the box office, coming in second place to the Black Panther juggernaut. Tomb Raider made $23.5 million domestically in its opening weekend, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The ever more important foreign box office can play a huge role in a film's success or failure, and Tomb Raider is doing quite well internationally, raking in $102.5 million in its opening frame.
According to Box Office Mojo, the gritty reboot of gaming's most recognizable heroine currently sits at $126 million worldwide after its first weekend in release. The domestic haul was about in line with pre-release expectations, but Black Panther continues to reign supreme with incredible staying power, thus denying Tomb Raider the opportunity to slap the '#1 Movie in America' tag on post-release TV spots. Regardless, America is only part of the overall equation and although foreign markets aren't always as profitable as domestic ones, $102.5 million doesn't seem like a bad start for Lara Croft.
Tomb Raider did especially well in China, taking in $41.1 million on 15,500 screens according to Variety. Roar Uthaug's reboot accounted for nearly 50% of the box office among the top five films in that country. Even more impressive is how its opening weekend performance in China compares to two other worldwide smashes, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Wonder Woman, which earned $39.2 million and $37.6 million respectively when they opened there. Jumanji wound up making $77.9 million overall in China while Wonder Woman took in $90.4 million. If Tomb Raider has a similar final tally in China, it would go a long way towards putting this movie in the black.
While far from an indie flick, as a blockbuster, Tomb Raider had a pretty modest production budget of $94 million. Its domestic showing wasn't even enough to win its opening weekend, but this strong foreign start for Tomb Raider is at least a positive sign for those hoping for more of Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft. The film didn't fare great with critics and currently sits at a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. That said, Tomb Raider's 50% is still enough for it to take the throne as the best reviewed video game movie. Not exactly the highest bar to clear, but its a step in the right direction and shows that there are positives to be taken from this reboot. For those who prefer their video game characters in their original medium, a new Lara Croft video game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider was just announced for release later this year.
Tomb Raider is in theaters now, check out our review and come back after you've seen it and let us know what you thought.
