‘Ford v Ferrari’ Surprisingly Tanks In Its Chinese Big Screen Debut

The 2019 film Ford v Ferrari has thus far been a massive hit, raking in over $225 million worldwide while receiving universal and widespread critical acclaim. But while most around the world have already had the chance to catch the story of Ford and Carroll Shelby’s amazing performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the film actually just had its debut on the big screen in China. And things, well, they didn’t go terribly well.

Ford v Ferrari grossed a mere $1.1 million over the weekend, despite receiving strong praise from Chinese movie critics. Meanwhile, the World War I epic 1917 debuted as the country’s top movie, taking in a total of $5.2 million. In total, the Chinese box office accumulated $17 million, a modest total that’s become the norm recently.

This is because China’s cinemas are only in their third week of operation following a COVID-19 induced lockdown began back in January. Theaters are operating with a host of regulations and restrictions in place, which include limits on the number of screens that can be used, as well as strict social distancing requirements.

Still, despite these caveats, a long delay, and 1917‘s critical acclaim, it’s still a disappointing performance from Ford v Ferrari. Aside from its box office performance, the flick has garnered a slew of recognitions including four nominations and Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing wins at the Academy Awards, and was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the ten best films of the year

Additionally, Christian Bale, who played the role of driver Ken Miles, also received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Drama and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

We’ll have more on this and other Ford-related flicks soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.