Jackie Chan’s new action movie “Legend,” with a budget of 360 million RMB (Renminbi), which was originally scheduled to be released on July 12th, has faced low pre-sale enthusiasm. Due to this, the film had an early preview on July 5th. However, with underwhelming early preview box office results and the release of Shen Teng’s movie “Catch Dolls,” which is set to be a box office hit on July 13th, the production team of “Legend” rescheduled the premiere to July 10th. Disappointingly, the movie only managed to earn 610,000 RMB in ticket sales within the first 9 hours, surprising audiences.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, as of 7:00 pm on July 4th, the pre-sale box office for “Legend” was only 266,000 RMB, and the early preview box office amounted to around 6.5 million RMB.
It’s reported that this film is considered one of the most anticipated blockbuster movies of the summer in mainland China this year. Co-produced by multiple Chinese companies, the movie had a budget exceeding 50 million USD (approximately 360 million RMB). The disappointing performance during the premiere, with only 610,000 RMB in the first 9 hours, indicates that the film’s chances of breaking even look bleak. Fans expressed their surprise, saying, “Jackie Chan didn’t expect that the audience and cinemas would not give face to the Kung Fu superstar.”
Media statistics as of 9:00 am on July 10th show that the top three daily box office rankings in mainland China are still occupied by “Silent Death,” “Mind Makers 2,” and “There is a Little Shop at the Cloud Edge.”
“Silent Death” had a screen share percentage of over 36.8% and a daily box office record of over 6.96 million RMB, dominating over new releases in various data aspects. It maintained its position as the box office champion for 8 consecutive days, with a total box office exceeding 513 million RMB, securing the top spot for the summer box office. “Mind Makers 2” had a screen share percentage of over 11.1% and a daily box office of 1.24 million RMB, accumulating a total box office of over 275 million RMB in 20 days. “There is a Little Shop at the Cloud Edge” had a screen share percentage of 11.9% and a daily box office of 1.15 million RMB, reaching a total box office of 468 million RMB in 19 days.
Compared to these successful movies, how did “Legend” fare on its premiere day on July 10th? With a screen share percentage of 11.9%, equivalent to the 19-day-old “There is a Little Shop at the Cloud Edge,” the film only earned 610,000 RMB in the first 9 hours. This was even lower than the latter, indicating a significantly low audience turnout for “Legend.” Consequently, the box office prospects for “Legend” look extremely grim according to box office platforms.
Following the projections by the box office platform, if the current trend continues, “Legend” is estimated to have a first-day box office of around 6 million RMB, with a final box office figure stopping at 100 million RMB. Considering the high production cost of 360 million RMB and other factors, the production team’s losses could exceed 330 million RMB, making this movie a potential massive box office flop in mainland China’s cinematic history.
“Legend” narrates the story of Jackie Chan’s character traversing between past and present lives. The film combines traditional live-action scenes with AI facial replacement technology. In the movie, Jackie Chan’s ancient general character, Zhao Zhan, uses AI technology to transform into a 27-year-old Jackie Chan, which is a major selling point of the film. However, unexpectedly, the audience feedback from the early previews indicated issues with the AI facial replacement for the younger version of Jackie Chan.
Viewers mentioned that the youthful version of Jackie Chan through AI facial replacement appeared increasingly unnatural, always wearing a seemingly insincere smile, failing to convey emotions effectively. Particularly during scenes where the protagonist’s brothers and loved ones pass away, what should have been a somber atmosphere was turned into a comedic one by the AI facial replacement. Additionally, many scenes clearly revealed that the younger version of Jackie Chan was portrayed by mainland Chinese actor Zheng Yecheng as a body double, with Chan’s face digitally imposed roughly on top, resulting in a lack of finesse.