COLOSSAL 59.5% drop for JWFK. Can it still reach $400M domestically???

I don't know if his % are true, but there is little doubt an American film earns a higher % from its domestic markets typically than foreign markets. Some of those markets you have fees with governments, some films have to find a distributing partner and they take their share and then its the theater take itself and that is just a few of the possible financial hurdles. Its the same with foreign films, Chinese films typically make most of its money from China and Asian markets, they roll the dice whenever they try to release something in the US because we don't typically respond the same as foreign markets do to Hollywood films and the potential for loss is high because the take home is not the same. Which is another reason why you get remakes and/or western actors added to films that they want to do well in the west.

And to answer your China question, its because if it hits big..it makes a lot of money there and even with that lower take home you still do better than in most other foreign markets the film gets released in. For instance, Fast8 made almost 400 mil in China alone, even with the low take home that is more profit than in any single other foreign market, for comparison the next highest gross per BOM is Brazil at 41 mil.

These are 2 sources I've found. Both state that the OS BO is less significant but still does count for something. 30% of 50M is still 15 Million you wouldn't have had.

I've just mentally gather more info from various sources and testaments over years.

http://theweek.com/articles/647394/when-buy-movie-ticket-where-does-that-money

https://io9.gizmodo.com/5747305/how-much-money-does-a-movie-need-to-make-to-be-profitable

A list of movies that gross double or near their production budget overseas but are deemed a financial failure or disappointment.

I think the ultimate proof is that movies that are successful financially typically get sequels. These movies had pre-planned sequels that were canceled after their release.

https://uproxx.com/movies/american-box-office-bombs-international-2017/4/

I suppose you could write up a story to bring the original cast back. Shoot even CGI Richard as Hammond. I would find it hard to believe they could come up with something that didn't feel so forced. If you are going to spend that kind of energy just write a good story instead.