James Gunn Praises 'Furious' Over 'Twilight of the Warriors'; Action Film Tops $1B Yuan in China
Kenji Tanigaki's new action film "Furious" topped China's daily box office and won acclaim in North America, with "Superman" director James Gunn calling it superior to "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In."
Photo: Ming Pao
Kenji Tanigaki, winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography for "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In," has directed a new film, "Furious," which opened simultaneously in Hong Kong and the United States last Friday (June 12). The film took in $2.75 million (about HK$21.45 million) over its opening weekend to rank eighth at the North American box office. In mainland China, where it opened a day earlier, the film had just crossed the 100 million yuan mark by press time, surpassing "A Letter to Grandma" to become the single-day box office champion. Superhero blockbuster "Superman" director James Gunn took to social media to praise "Mantis" as surpassing "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In," calling Tanigaki "one of the best action directors working today."
James Gunn, co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, has recently been busy filming the "Superman" sequel "Man of Tomorrow," expected to release next July. He took time off the other day to attend a screening of "Mantis" with the cast and crew of his new film, afterward posting effusive praise on social media: "Oh my God! We just watched 'Mantis.' I never thought Kenji Tanigaki could top his own 'Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,' but this new film proves he's one of the best action directors working today. We all loved it."
Back in 2020, during the pandemic, Gunn shared on social media his personal list of 54 recommended action films, which included Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master," Jet Li's "The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk," Chow Yun-fat's "The Killer," Anita Mui's "The Heroic Trio," Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle," Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and Ang Lee's Oscar-winning Best Foreign Language Film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," reflecting his love and respect for Chinese-language action cinema. Should he update the list this year, "Mantis" would likely earn a spot.
Contrasting U.S. and China Box Office for Spielberg Film
"Furious" opened in the United States last Friday with a Rotten Tomatoes critics' score of 97 percent from 110 reviews and an audience score of 95 percent. Despite the acclaim, it failed to translate into strong ticket sales, taking in $2.75 million to rank eighth over its opening weekend. Opening the same day, Steven Spielberg's new film took a hefty $44 million (about HK$340 million) to claim the top spot, beating the $35 million (about HK$270 million) projected by U.S. media. Its cumulative earnings across 73 countries and territories worldwide reached $92.87 million (about HK$720 million), and it should have little trouble recouping its $115 million (about HK$890 million) production budget in the near term.
"Furious" is set in a fictional Southeast Asian country and follows former bodyguard Wang Wei (played by Xie Miao), who is left to raise his daughter (Yang Enyou) alone after his wife's death. When his beloved daughter is abducted by a human trafficking ring, he ventures deep into the lion's den alongside the husband (Lin Keteng) of a missing female journalist, vowing to rescue his wife and daughter at all costs. In addition to its strong U.S. opening, the film also fared well in mainland China after opening last Thursday (June 11), having just crossed the 100 million yuan mark by press time. By contrast, Spielberg's film, which opened last Friday, has earned a cumulative 21.2 million yuan and currently sits in fourth place, behind "Mantis," "A Letter to Grandma" and "The Vanished." In Hong Kong, "Mantis" is expected to break the HK$3 million mark today (June 16), while "A Letter to Grandma" opens Thursday (June 18).