Apple Original Films and Sony Pictures’ Ridley Scott-directed action epic Napoleon has landed a theatrical release date in China of Dec. 1.
The movie starring Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix in the title role will begin its global raid on Wednesday; here in the states taking advantage of the Thanksgiving five-day holiday.
Sony is banking on the movie to make the bulk of its global moolah overseas, which is par for the course on historical epics, i.e. 1917 did 58% of its $384.5M global box office overseas. Dunkirk did 64% of its $527.8M at the international box office.
However, there’s not question about how fickle the China market has been at the B.O. post pandemic, i.e. while Oppenheimer did a hearty $61.6M there out of its $623.7M foreign B.O., 1917 which was released in the heart of the pandemic in August 2020 did under $10M.
Scott’s Napoleon follows the rise and fall of the French emperor and his offshore global victories of war, down to Waterloo and his exile on St. Helena. Vanessa Kirby plays his one true love, Josephine.
The movie began screening this week to the media and so far through 62 reviews counts 66% fresh with Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Praises Deadline critic Damon Wise in his film review this week about Phoenix’s turn, “It’s hard to imagine an actor that could pull this off and make it so engaging, but Phoenix does, an achievement made especially impressive when you realize that this self-styled master of war sent over 3 million men to their deaths in just 22 years.”
Napoleon reps the second wide theatrical release for Apple from a major studio distribution partner. Apple released Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon through Paramount which has so far earned $61.3M stateside and $138.5M WW.
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