Jake Coyle

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The Great Wall was a hit in China. In North America, it was a dud.

With a budget of $150 million, The Great Wall was intended to prove that the world's No. 2 movie marketplace could produce Hollywood-sized blockbusters of its own. Though it ran up $171 million in ticket sales in China, The Great Wall pulled in $18.1 million in its North American debut over Presidents Day weekend, according to studio estimates.

That was good enough for third place, falling behind last weekend's top two films, The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker. The animated release easily led the box office again with $34.2 million in its second week, sliding only 35%.

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Fifty Shades Darker sold $21 million in tickets in its second week. The erotic sequel continues to play well overseas, where it led international business with $43.7 million for the weekend. 4. Keanu Reeves action sequel John Wick: Chapter 2 finished fourth with $16.5 million.

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Slammed by critics, Great Wall didn't measure up to its ambitions. But the Matt Damon movie isn't a bomb. It has made $244.6 million overseas and performed over the weekend in North America slightly better than some pundits expected.

"This is absolutely a strategy that's worldwide," said Nick Carpou, distribution chief for Universal. "Worldwide, we are one of many markets."

For Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, the more significant factor for The Great Wall wasn't its multi-national origins but its Rotten Tomatoes rating: a dismal 36% "fresh."

"Just like every movie irrespective of country of origin, reviews matter," said Dergarabedian. "Audiences only care about the movie. They don't necessary care where it came from."

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Two other new releases also failed to catch on. The comedy Fist Fight, starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day as feuding high-school teachers, opened with $12 million.

And Gore Verbinski's gothic horror A Cure for Wellness — his follow-up to the box-office bomb The Lone Ranger — made just $4.2 million.

Final numbers are expected Tuesday.