Ever since the turn of the millennium lit the touchpaper on the second wave of blockbuster historical epics, the results have been consistently inconsistent from both a critical and commercial perspective, but 2007’s The Warlords could only tick off one of those boxes.
Despite boasting a stacked cast of local stars, the $40 million production could only scramble to less than $43 million at the box office, the majority of which came from local shores in China. And yet, it ended up being one of the most awards-laden movies of the year, making a mockery of the fact nobody seemed interested in paying for a ticket.
At the Hong Kong Film Awards, The Warlords netted an impressive total of 11 nominations, and ended up walking away with a whopping eight victories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematographer to name but a few, which made it all the more head-scratching that it ended up losing money during its theatrical run.
It may have lost the battle at the multiplex, but the film has at least been winning the war on streaming this weekend, with FlixPatrol revealing The Warlords to be one of the top-viewed features on Disney Plus this weekend. Torn apart by civil war, only a handful of warriors can change the course of history, something at-home audiences are cottoning onto more than 15 years after paying patrons couldn’t care less. It’s a riveting and visually impressive entry in the genre, even if it didn’t catch on at the time.
Published: Apr 23, 2023 11:30 am