Star Wars: The Last Jedi may be in for a slow and disappointing opening in China, the last major territory to release the film.
Despite Disney’s marketing power, early screenings Friday put it only second place. Top spot was retained by Chinese comedy 'The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes' in its second week.
The 'Star Wars' franchise has never held the same grip on Chinese audiences as in the rest of the world. The first six films didn't get theatrical releases in China, but all have played multiple times on Chinese television. To help Chinese audiences with the back story, the first six episodes were played at the Shanghai film festival two years ago.
'The Force Awakens' earned $124 million in January 2016. The figure at the time was considered a disappointment. A major slowdown in the growth of the Chinese box office in 2016 meant opinions had to be revised when the film took 13th place for the year. 'Rogue One', which featured Chinese stars Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen, earned $69.5 million last year.