Warcraft: A Missed Opportunity at Box Office Glory?

The long-awaited adaptation of Blizzard Entertainment's popular real-time strategy game series 'War orc' finally hit theaters in June 2016, but it failed to conjure up the same magic that its video game counterparts have been known for over two decades. Despite a star-studded cast featuring talented actors like Travis Fimmel and Dominic Cooper, 'War orcs' critical reception was lukewarm at best.

With an estimated production budget of $160 million dollars, many fans were hoping against all odds that the film would somehow break even if not rake in some decent profits from worldwide box office numbers. Alas, those hopes were short-lived as reports began trickling out indicating poor opening weekend earnings across major markets including North America and Europe.

While 'War orcs' did manage to gross a respectable $47 million domestically during its first weekend of release - far below studio projections naturally given how highly anticipated this picture was considered prior -, it was overseas where things really started looking grim for Universal Pictures who greenlit the project in hopes of capitalizing on existing brand recognition among fans worldwide.

According to Variety, 'War orcs' grossed an additional $386 million abroad during its opening weekend alone - a far cry from what studios likely had anticipated given how well-received previous franchises based on popular video games like Call Of Duty and Resident Evil have performed at the box office globally speaking.

As we all know however, success in Hollywood is often determined more so by factors beyond just pure box office numbers themselves; cultural context plays a significant role too when it comes determining whether or not certain titles will connect with audiences worldwide.

It seems then that despite having an impressive cast and crew behind the scenes - including director Andrzej Bartkiewicz who helmed both Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (2010) & Resident Evil: Afterlife (2012), among other credits to his name -, 'War orcs' simply couldn't overcome its own inherent flaws within its storytelling approach, leading many critics to label it as nothing more than a generic action flick attempting to ride coattails off greater successes elsewhere.

What do you think dear readers? Do you agree with the mixed reception that Warcraft has received so far? Share your thoughts in comments below!

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