“The massively hyped Chinese fantasy epic Asura has been pulled from cinemas after a disastrous opening weekend.
With a production budget reported at 750m yuan (£85m), Asura – with its complex special effects, big-name stars and huge crew – was hailed as China’s most expensive film ever made. However, its opening weekend takings totalled 49m yuan (£5.5m), and it was immediately withdrawn from cinemas.
The film’s official Weibo account announced the news on Sunday, with producers offering ‘deepest apologies to viewers who did not get a chance to watch the film, as well as to all the Chinese and international participants who were involved in its production over the past six years'” says Andrew Pulver.