The critically lambasted video game adaptation makes just $24.4m while the Enfield-set sequel becomes the biggest horror opening since the 2013 original

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Video game adaptation Warcraft: The Beginning has delivered a lacklustre result in its opening US weekend, making just $24.4m.

Duncan Jones on Warcraft: 'If you get it wrong, people are going to be upset' Read more

The $160m budget fantasy adventure had suffered from negative reviews, with a 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and bad buzz after a much-maligned marketing campaign. But the film has been a hit in China, making $156m in its first five days and its global total now stands at $286m. Industry experts claim it will need to make $450m to break even.

It was envisioned as the start of a new franchise but its future is now in doubt and will depend on international numbers. Similarly, an underwhelming US total for Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim was offset by large numbers overseas and a sequel is now in pre-production as a result, set to star John Boyega.

The weekend was won by haunted house sequel The Conjuring 2, which made $40.4m, the biggest opening for a horror film since the original opened with $41.9m in 2013. It was also the best ever debut for a horror film in June.

The original ended up with $318m from a $20m budget and while the follow-up, which takes Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s paranormal investigators to Enfield, was made for $40m, it will still turn a healthy profit. Internationally its total is already $90.4m.

Another sequel to a 2013 sleeper hit, Now You See Me 2, opened decently with $23m compared to the original’s $29.4m. The heist thriller, which brings back cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman and Mark Ruffalo, cost a hefty $90m so will need a strong overseas showing to make a profit.

Last week’s top film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 dropped 60% in its second weekend.