None of these films, save for The Foreigner (which was a co-pro between STX and Huayi Brothers), made any noise at the domestic box office. As was Kung Fu Yoga, which was a pretty enjoyable National Treasure-ish riff that again let Chan play mentor to younger would-be stars). Both were released on VOD (and very limited theatrical release) alongside their blockbuster Chinese runs. Even Martin Campbell’s The Foreigner, a grimdark English-language political thriller co-starring Pierce Brosnan, earned $81 million in China.ĭragon Blade co-starred John Cusack and Adrian Brody while Skiptrace was a Rush Hour knock-off starring Johnny Knoxville in the “Chris Tucker” role. That’s a far cry from the recent likes of Chinese Zodiac ($113 million in 2012), Lockdown ($94 million in 2013), Dragon Blade ($123 million in 2015), Skiptrace ($137 million in 2016) and Kung Fu Yoga ($258 million in 2017). Oddly enough, the film has disappointed thus far in China, earning $50 million thus far. The second half really drops the ball in terms of stakes, but if you’re desperate to see something in theaters, in IMAX no less, this weekend, well, you could do a lot worse than watching Chan head a team of top-notch security specialists doing their best to rescue an imperiled client and save the day.
