‘Meg 2: The Trench’ Chews Up Prehistoric Ideas of How a Chinese Movie Should Be Made
variety.comPatrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Meg 2: The Trench” serves up a school of prehistoric fish that chew up the seas, a snapping pack of imaginary hybrid dinosaurs that wreak havoc on land and a surprising cinema business model — the Chinese-controlled franchise intended for a global audience.
And while early reviews are predictably mixed, the film’s box office debut looks promising. In China, on Friday, it bit off a $19.5 million first day and enjoyed a 50% market share.
In North America, opening weekend forecasts are for a $30 million mouthful. Outwardly, the new movie has the look and feel of summer season Hollywood popcorn fare, including Jason Statham beating up things even bigger than himself, a gang of strictly one-dimensional bad guys and Warner Bros.
handling a wide global release. The introduction of Chinese superstar Wu Jing and some Hainan Island backdrops may give clues to the film’s Middle Kingdom pedigree.
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