Movies
‘Monster Hunter’ Made $8 Million Internationally Over the Weekend; Pulled from Release in China
Paul W.S. Anderson‘s video game adaptation Monster Hunter isn’t being released here in the US until December 25, but the film was unleashed over the weekend in several international markets. According to a report from Deadline, it made “about $5.3 million” in China on Thursday/Friday, and a combined $2.65 million in five other markets this weekend.
Deadline breaks down the other five markets, “Each came in No. 1 including Taiwan ($1.5M), Saudi Arabia ($550K), UAE ($305K) and Netherlands ($180K).”
How much did Monster Hunter make in China beyond Friday, you ask? Well, that’s where things get interesting. The Milla Jovovich-starring monster movie was actually pulled from release in China over the weekend amid complaints about a brief dialogue exchange that was deemed racist and offensive; the exchange in question will be removed from the movie.
Variety reports, “Cinemas around the country began to pull the movie from their line-ups when what was intended as a lighthearted moment in the film was taken by local viewers as a gloating insult. Though around a quarter of all film screenings in China were allotted to Monster Hunter on Friday, by Saturday that had fallen to only 0.7%.”
The site’s report continues, “By around midnight the same day, many cinemas received an urgent notice to cancel all upcoming screenings and issue refunds for shows already sold, according to numerous screenshots of such directives posted online.”
They also break down the scene in question: “In the scene, a white male character and an Asian character played by Jin Au-Yeung are driving together at high speed. “What?” says the former. “Look at my knees!” shouts Jin. “What kind of knees are these?” asks his companion. “Chi-nese!” jokes Jin, punning on the word’s last syllable.”
As Deadline reports, Constantin Film has apologized for the offending dialogue, and they have agreed to remove the line of dialogue completely from the movie going forward.
Constantin “sincerely apologizes to Chinese audiences for a line of dialogue contained in an early scene of Monster Hunter.” Their statement today continues, “There was absolutely no intent to discriminate, insult or otherwise offend anyone of Chinese heritage. Constantin Film has listened to the concerns expressed by Chinese audiences and removed the line that has led to this inadvertent misunderstanding.”
At this time, it’s unclear if Monster Hunter will be returning to theaters in China.
Movies
‘Boorman and the Devil’ Documentary Trailer Chronicles Complicated Relationship with ‘Exorcist II’
Critically acclaimed documentary Boorman and the Devil chronicles how one of the world’s greatest filmmakers made one of the most hated movies ever: Exorcist II: The Heretic. A new trailer highlighting some of the troubled production woes has arrived.
Boorman and the Devil opens at The Quad in NYC on August 28 before opening wider in various cities on September 4, including: Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and more.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to direct a sequel to their smash hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history. A critical and financial failure that not only changed how Hollywood did business, but nearly ended Boorman’s filmmaking career… but to be an artist is to be a risk-taker.
Now, John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and more reflect back on the ambition of the film, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” said director David Kittredge. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares.”
“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil,” added Yellow Veil co-founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”
Boorman and the Devil is produced by Kittredge’s Triple Fire Productions, Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky’s Dune, Starry Eyes) of Snowfort Pictures, and Jim Fall (The Lizzie McGuire Movie), with Alan Koenigsberg of Milton Ventures Media serving as co-producer.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Boorman and the Devil goes above and beyond to be the definitive text on Exorcist II. This documentary will delight horror and Exorcist fans alike, but it also provides incredible insight for anyone who is just marginally interested in film production.”
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