“Independence Day: Resurgence” is a bust in the US with a $16 million Friday opening and a predicted $40 mil weekend. It’s a $200 million movie, so that ain’t good.
But 21st Century Fox has hedged its bet. “IDR” opens in China this weekend, too. And even though China has no civil rights and dog meat eating festivals, it’s now the place where the big studios pin their hopes for making some dough on bad films.
To ensure that “IDR” will do well– even without Will Smith– the studio and the filmmakers were clever enough to feature several Asian and Chinese actors. A young actress who goes by Angelababy– her real name is Angela Wing– plays Rain, one of the movie’s stolid ingenues. Chin Han plays Commander Jiang. Ron Yuan, Grace Huang, Ben Wang, and Stephen Oyoung are also featured. There are extras too. Their presence will no doubt be played up as “IDR” opens in China and elsewhere in Asia. It’s a smart movie financially, and inadvertently helps play a part in diverse casting. Everybody wins!
If only “IDR” had a script and other actors who were memorable, the movie might have been a hit in the U.S.
