Dreaming big, a coalition of film studios-Alibaba Pictures, Ningxia Film Group, and Zhenjian Film Studio-pooled their resources to supply the budget for "Asura," a story based on Chinese mythology. It starred leading actors in the Chinese film industry and also featured expensive, state-of-the-art special effects.
BBC UK reports that weren't enough to divert it from its fate, which was to be a box-office bomb. The movie was expected to over-achieve, but when the box office returns came in, it grossly underachieved. With a budget of 750 million yuan (112 million USD; £85 million), it was expected to rake in at least that same amount to break even. Instead, it raked in just under 50 million yuan.
The movie's plot, according to NDTV, was centered on the Tibetan Buddhist story of a shepherd given the divine task of protecting an otherworldly realm from attacks of the same nature. It was an ambitious project that was cultural in nature-a creative sharing of traditional Chinese lore.
When it opened on Friday, the amount it made (7.3 million USD) wasn't what the film's backers expected. It was still on during the weekend, but the problem persisted; by 10PM on Sunday, the white flag was raised. Alibaba Pictures announced on its Twitter account that the film was being pulled out of theaters following the underwhelming box-office figures along with an apology to those who wanted to watch the movie.
There was a lot hinging on the movie, reported to be now fifth on the list of big-budget bombs in movie history. Yang Hongtao of the Ningxia Film Group said that it was supposed to have provided big exposure for local talent as well as 'raise confidence' in Chinese literary culture. State media were building it up to be a blockbuster among blockbusters during China's movie summer season.
Despite the presence of Hong Kong-based actors Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Carina Lau, it was reviewed poorly on Chinese movie aggregates-it rated 3.1 on Douban, 4.9 on Maoyan, although it interestingly garnered an 8.4 rating on Alibaba-owned Tao Piaopiao.
