Wolf Warrior 2
What if we told you the second highest-grossing film of all-time in a single market and 2017’s fifth highest earner was a Chinese action pic called Wolf Warrior 2? Proving that a strong word of mouth can go a long way, this Wu Jing-steered picture broke record after record as it made huge Hollywood productions look like chumps in the process.
Costing only $30.1 million to make, Wolf Warrior 2 raked in $870.3 million worldwide. Tickets sold out in countries like Australia and Malaysia, where its box-office legs seemed to show no end and took the spotlight away from bigger productions.
If Wolf Warrior 2 proves one thing, it’s that no one needs Rotten Tomatoes when you have enough people eager to see a movie. Maybe it’s a wake-up call for everyone that we need to stop fussing about the media’s overbearing narrative about scores and actually go out and support films that pique our interest.
Get Out
It might not have the big numbers of It, but no one expected Jordan Peele’s $4.5 million Get Out to make over $250 million and receive as many award nominations as it has. Especially considering that this was Peele’s directorial debut.
Coming out of nowhere, Get Out delighted both critics and fans as it provided an original horror experience that simultaneously tackled important social issues. With a terrific cast and a sublime script penned by Peele to boot, it left no one disappointed when the credits finally rolled.
There are talks of Peele helming a sequel in the future, but even if that doesn’t happen, we’ll still have the memories of this incredible film to hold on to. It defied all expectations and can be considered one of the year’s biggest sleeper hits.