Who Needs American Superhero Films When China Has THE MONKEY KING!

Who Needs American Superhero Films When China Has THE MONKEY KING!

Ride Along topped the domestic box office for the third weekend in a row, with $12.3 million. But that's a pittance compared to China's homegrown box office champ, The Monkey King. The martial arts, special effects extravaganza pulled in a $50M opening.

By nailbiter111 - Feb 04, 2014 01:02 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: uk.movies.yahoo


Is Hollywood losing it's mojo? This past weekend was the Chinese New Year and something quite remarkable took place. A Hong Kong-made film, The Monkey King, dominated the international box office. Opening with a whopping $50M, and surpassed the China IMAX records that were previously held by Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3. Check out two spectacularly bizarre trailers below. The one at the very bottom has been dubbed in English, but don't worry it is just as whacky.



The Monkey King (Sun Wukong) is a monkey born from a heavenly stone, who acquires supernatural powers. After rebelling against Heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain for 500 years, he accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to India. Thus, according to legend, Buddhism is brought to ancient China. This first installment in a trilogy of live action 3D movies is actually a prequel to The Journey To The West, the much told story of the Monkey King's adventures on the road to India. The first movie is the origins story that begins with the birth of Sun Wukong and ends with his imprisonment for his crimes under the Five-Peaked Mountain. Along the way, he acquires incredible powers, battling the armies of the gods and the armies of the demons to find his rightful place in the Heavens.


Director: Cheang-Pou-soi * Lands in U.S. theaters this September
Cast: Donnie Yen, Aaron Kwok, Joe Chen Qiao-En, Chow Yun Fat, Peter Ho, Faye Wong, Gigi Leung and Fan Siu-Wong
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ekrolo2
ekrolo2 - 2/4/2014, 1:59 PM
But will he go Super Saiyan?
Pasto
Pasto - 2/4/2014, 2:00 PM
LMFAO! China....oh china...
CatholicHoar
CatholicHoar - 2/4/2014, 2:00 PM
its even weirder than Jumanji!
batz11
batz11 - 2/4/2014, 2:07 PM
That looks pretty damn good :)

Minghagz
Minghagz - 2/4/2014, 2:07 PM
pfffft! Jumanji ripoff.
smgmayhem
smgmayhem - 2/4/2014, 2:08 PM
Is this the same mythology they used in The Forbidden Kingdom?
ALegendaryPanda
ALegendaryPanda - 2/4/2014, 2:10 PM
Oh! Okay.
Minghagz
Minghagz - 2/4/2014, 2:11 PM
@Batz11 - Lol, I'd pay good money to have that happening in my backyard! Lawn chair and some drinks and I'll be a happy camper.
vtopa
vtopa - 2/4/2014, 2:11 PM
smgmayhem
smgmayhem - 2/4/2014, 2:14 PM
Yeah Jet Li played the same character back in 2008 with Jackie Chan. But this looks a lot better.
Demongod20
Demongod20 - 2/4/2014, 2:16 PM

The Monkey King Legend is on of my favoite Eastern Legends. Dragon Ball Z started the spark. I loved wtching Monkey Magic, Saiyuki, Goku Midnight Eye, Journey to the West, and Xin (The Monkey king comic) . I wish we could get a big Blockbuster Hollywood version of the story that would at least treat it with respect even though I know its highly unlikely.
smgmayhem
smgmayhem - 2/4/2014, 2:17 PM
They need to do a Dragon Ball movie in the vein or inspiration of Star Wars in scope
Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 2/4/2014, 2:20 PM
looks like Asuras Wrath
Brainiac13
Brainiac13 - 2/4/2014, 2:23 PM
batz11
batz11 - 2/4/2014, 2:24 PM
That video freaked the shit outta @monkeyballs...

gulducati
gulducati - 2/4/2014, 2:25 PM
This is actually the third movie in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trilogy.
Brainiac13
Brainiac13 - 2/4/2014, 2:25 PM
Tevii
Tevii - 2/4/2014, 2:26 PM
This looks great!
Cant wait to see it. I loved reading "Journey to the West" and of course Dragonball. Its nice to see they made a full-fledged movie, not the partial one like "Forbidden Kingdom" or even the US miniseries, "The Lost Empire"
Ranger14
Ranger14 - 2/4/2014, 2:26 PM
I will be watching this franchise. Watched the series that came out a number of years ago.
smgmayhem
smgmayhem - 2/4/2014, 2:27 PM
@ Coreyxeroc, please elaborate...
Brainiac13
Brainiac13 - 2/4/2014, 2:27 PM


LOL!
Brainiac13
Brainiac13 - 2/4/2014, 2:28 PM
Robe
Robe - 2/4/2014, 2:28 PM
I loved the TV series and the cartoon as a kid. I have also read the English translation of the original Chinese epic.
smgmayhem
smgmayhem - 2/4/2014, 2:30 PM
@CoreyXEroc, but are you speaking in terms of the content being posted before us? Or was your comment directed at an individual?
smgmayhem
smgmayhem - 2/4/2014, 2:31 PM
lol @braininteligence, Nick Cage is the true KING!
AlphaDean
AlphaDean - 2/4/2014, 2:32 PM
Yea I watched this trailer a couple of weeks ago... Cannot wait for the release here or the Blu-ray... definitely loving this.
shamo
shamo - 2/4/2014, 2:34 PM
looks pretty good considering China has never been too proficient with CGI.
Tevii
Tevii - 2/4/2014, 2:35 PM
And yeah... the US needs to step up its game. Movies are the last great American export and China and Europe are definitely catching up. We need to go back to the days of taking risks and trying new things. Otherwise one day soon we wont even have that to claim. (Studios like WB are spearheading the death of the American film glory days)
sKeemAn
sKeemAn - 2/4/2014, 2:36 PM
This looks off the hook. I gotta find one with english subs. Now we need them to do a dragonball movie correctly.
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