Why Is 'Wonder Woman' Struggling Overseas? Gal Gadot Could Be Part Of The Reason

"Wonder Woman" conquered fellow movie competitors throughout the early stages of its summer box office run, opening up to warm ticket sales in the domestic markets and praise from critics. However, the Warner Bros. and DC Comics project isn't hitting the mark for overseas moviegoers.

Gal Gadot in the titular role could be a contributing factor to its slow progression internationally.

Read: How Much Money Has 'Wonder Woman' Made? Superhero Movie Continues To Perform Well At Box Office

The female-led superhero flick has grossed $321.1 million domestically (48.9 percent of sales) and $335.8 million internationally (51.1 percent of sales) to date, according to Box Office Mojo. However, considering the overseas market consists of a larger number of contributing territories, the generated box office sales within these markets are lower than they should be.

Although Gadot's flick exceeded box office expectations within domestic markets, the foreign sales of "Wonder Woman" should be higher. Needless to say, DC Comics' latest film effort appears to be diverting from regular patterns.

"Suicide Squad," which debuted the beginning of the villain-led franchise, followed the typical course of box office patterns for a superhero film. The 2016 film raked in $325.1 million domestically (43.6 percent of sales) and $420.5 internationally (56.4 percent of sales). However, it still managed to perform decently in foreign markets without a release in China, a key player in today's box office market. If "Suicide Squad" had received a China release, its box office numbers would have likely soared higher.

Rob Cain, an entertainment consultant in China and producer for Pacific Bridge Pictures, explained the importance of the foreign film market to CNBC in 2013. However, he pointed out that China is the most important market to hit.

"There's no secret that the Chinese film administration has a policy that really favors domestic films and tries to protect them," Cain told CNBC. "Unless something dramatically changes, these Hollywood films are going to have a glass ceiling on them."

His statement holds true to this day, considering success within foreign markets can make or break a blockbuster film like "Wonder Woman," whose box office sales in China are lackluster compared to other superhero flicks that have screened in the market.

Read: ‘Wonder Woman 2’ Spoilers: Patty Jenkins Already Working On Script Of Sequel

"Wonder Woman" raked in roughly $83.8 million in China's box office, opening with $37 million in the country on June 2. This total is slightly lower than "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," which opened to $48 million in China, raking in a total gross of $100 million since its China debut. Gal Gadot's debut in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" made a bigger splash in China's market, reeling in $55 million during its box office debut.

Indiewire reported Wednesday that "the real power lies in the foreign box office for those blockbusters, with China as the retaining wall."

Why is China a crucial market for superhero and action flicks?

While the United States and Canada are considered to be the biggest box office markets fiscally, BuzzFeed noted Wednesday, "China remains the best opportunity for growth for Hollywood's major studios, especially with domestic ticket sales largely stagnating or in decline over the past decade." A large factor behind China's influence is the country possesses the more movie screens than any other territory (40,917 total), according to Associated Press.

In determining the culprit for "Wonder Woman's" lower sales in foreign markets (China in particular), The Hollywood Reporter points to Gadot as a big factor in international performance, claiming "foreign audiences also remain more enamored with celebrities than U.S. moviegoers — Wonder Woman stars relative newcomer Gal Gadot."

Gadot's star presence has proven to be a setback in these markets as films like Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" and Tom Cruises' "The Mummy" were disappointments within the domestic market, but were saved by overseas moviegoers — China in particular — since Depp and Cruise are recognizable faces worldwide. "Pirates" brought in $65 million during its China debut, while "The Mummy" reeled in $51 million.

Based off of these numbers alone, many blockbuster-bait movies to come will likely perform better in China than in North America. This is the primary reason "A Dog's Purpose," which wasn't successful within domestic markets, will receive a sequel. As The Hollywood Reporter noted in March, "a spike in the popularity of pets in China is also seen as having given the film a lift." Nonetheless, there is hope for the "Wonder Woman" franchise to exceed in China with its sequel.

Cain weighs in on the future of the Gadot-led franchise in an exclusive statement issued to International Business Times.

"Wonder Woman is ending its run in China with $88 million in gross theatrical, which places it among the top 20 highest-grossing films there so far this year. That's a solid result, especially given that there was little pre-awareness in China of the Wonder Woman character prior to the film's release," Cain told International Bussiness Times. "Now that the brand has been established in China, I expect any sequels that release there will generate even stronger business."

During the weekend of June 23-25, "Wonder Woman" completed its fourth week at the box office. Therefore, ticket sales could continue to progress with foreign markets. However, its chances are growing slim as other summer blockbusters like "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "War of the Planet of the Apes" are preparing to make their box office debut in the next few weeks, ultimately stealing Diana Prince's thunder.

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