Summary
Warcrafthas landed on Netflix’s Top 10 chart in the United States. Based on Blizzard’s video game series of the same name, the 2016 action fantasy film follows heroes on opposing sides of a war, as a horde of Orcs invades the planet Azeroth using a magic portal. The video game adaptation was directed by Duncan Jones, who co-wrote the script with Charles Leavitt, and aWarcraftcastthat includes Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, and Daniel Wu.
Now, eight years after its release, the video game adaptation is a hit onNetflix. For the week of July 1-7,Warcraftranked fourth on Netflix’s list of Top 10 films in the United States. New Netflix originalsBeverly Hills Cop: Axel FandA Family Affairtook the top two spots, followed byPaw Patrol: The Moviein third. Rounding out the top five isMinionsin fifth place.
Warcraft Ending Explained
2016’s Warcraft movie is based on the popular RTS games of the same name. It’s a complicated world to take in, so here’s our breakdown of its ending.
Warcraft Represents A Darker Time For Video Game Adaptations
Released in 2016,Warcraftwas one of the last failed video game adaptations before the golden age began.The movie was widely disliked by critics, withWarcraftreviewsconsidering it a slow-moving and unoriginal adaptation of its best-selling source material that offers little cinematic value. Additionally, the movie contains an abundance of characters, convoluted mythology, and clichéd dialogue. However, reviews did praiseWarcraftfor offering plenty of visual excitement courtesy of the talented Duncan Jones, who has also directedMoon,Source Code, andMute.
Warcrafthas a 29% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 76% from audiences.
In addition to receiving generally negative reviews from critics,Warcraftwas also a box-office disappointment, despite seemingly being a success on the surface. The movie made only $47 million in the United States, but largely due to its substantial success in China, where it made over $225 million alone,Warcraftended up grossing a total of $439 worldwide. Despite this, it failed to break even at the box office, where it would have required $450-500 million when accounting for its $160 million budget and additional marketing and distribution costs.
Warcraftwas one of the last failures before thegolden age of video game adaptationsbegan in the late 2010s.After its release, several video game adaptations started to become successful at the box office, including 2019’sDetective Pikachu, theSonic the Hedgehogseries (2020–2024), 2022’sUncharted, and 2023’sSuper Mario Bros. Movie. This success also extends to television with HBO’sThe Last of Usand Prime Video’sFallout. With this substantial uptick in critical and commercial success, the golden age of video adaptations has begun, and hopefully, it’s here to stay.
Warcraftis streaming on Netflix and for free on Tubi.
Warcraft
Cast
Warcraft is a fantasy film depicting the conflict between the human realm of Azeroth and invading orc warriors fleeing their dying world. As a mystical portal connects the two worlds, two heroes from opposing sides emerge, facing choices that will determine the fate of their people and homeland.
