Billion-dollar blockbuster invested by Jack Ma stops showing after 3 days in theaters
With dismal revenue and many negative reviews, the blockbuster movie 'A Tu La' invested in and produced by billionaire Jack Ma was hastily stopped showing across China after only three days in theaters.
"A Tu La" (English title "Asura") is inspired by the story of the three-headed, six-armed Atula God in Buddhist legend. Defeated in a battle, Atula's body was split into three, waiting a hundred years later for an opportunity to merge into one.
| Trailer for the movie 'A Tu La'. |
In the film, veteran actor Tony Leung Ka-fai, Hong Kong beauty Carina Lau, and young actress Ng Loi share the roles of three parts of the Asura god's body, respectively the lustful, scheming, and original versions.
Along with these three main actors, the film also features the participation of one-time Taiwanese idol drama god Minh Dao.
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| The three main actors of "A Tu La": Carina Lau, Ng Loi, and Leung Ka-fai. |
Investing 113.5 million USD (more than 2.6 trillion VND) to produce "A Tu La", paying special attention to the film's special effects technology, billionaire Jack Ma expects his brainchild to set a new record in Chinese cinema.
Many days before the film's release, the cast continuously shared images of the film, predicting a new phenomenon for Chinese fantasy films.
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| Taiwanese actor Minh Dao plays a supporting role in the film. |
Unfortunately, the film's effect was completely opposite. After three days of its grand release, "A Tu La" only grossed less than 7.1 million USD (163.4 billion VND).
On the American film site IMDb, the film received a score of 4.7/10. On Chinese film review sites, the situation is no better, with 4.9/10 from Maoyan and 3.2/10 from Douban.
The film's absurd, illogical content and unconvincing special effects also received much criticism from the Chinese public and press.
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| The film was criticized for both its content and special effects. |
On July 15, the distributor decided to withdraw the film. According to Kwong Wah, the producer denied editing the film and re-released it in theaters.
Instead, they say, the harsh market and cold audience attitudes killed 'A Tu La'.
