Giant shark film ‘The Meg’, engineered for China, is an unexpected US$141 million monster at the box-office

American-Chinese co-production The Meg has dominated the North American box office, raking in an estimated US$44.5 million in its opening weekend on its way to a worldwide take of more than US$140 million, smashing all expectations.

The lurid monster shark film is a presentation of Warner Bros Pictures and China's Gravity Pictures, and was tailored to Chinese audiences. It is a production of di Bonaventura Pictures, Apelles Entertainment, Maeday Productions, Inc., and Flagship Entertainment, in association with Beijing Digital Impression (BDI) Film, Inc. The film was distributed in China by Gravity Pictures, and throughout the rest of the world by Warner Bros Pictures.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub, T he Meg features English action star Jason Statham and award-winning Chinese actress Li Bingbing among others. Filming took place on location in China and New Zealand.

The film’s promotion has been decidedly tongue-in-cheek, in recognition of the film’s B-grade DNA: the tagline is “Pleased to eat you”, and the trailer features a tiny puppy wearing a bow being pursued by the monstrous shark.

The plot, as it is, follows a group of scientists who encounter a prehistoric 25-metre Megalodon shark. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew-and the ocean itself-from this unstoppable threat.