The Buzz | Zhang Yimou says ‘Great Wall’ story may have been too weak

Zhang Yimou says the disappointing U.S. performance of the biggest budget China-U.S. co-production to date, “The Great Wall,” may have been down to a weak story, but he hopes other filmmakers won’t be put off from attempting such ambitious Hollywood-Chinese collaboration.

“The actors are all very good; (star) Matt Damon and everyone was splendid,” the acclaimed director said. “Probably the story is a bit weak, or the timing of it wasn’t right…”

Producers of “The Great Wall” had hoped the movie with a USD150 million production budget could buck the trend of China-U.S. co-productions failing to make a splash in both markets, at a time when movie makers wrestle with how to appeal to Chinese and Western audiences at the same time.