The belief by many Chinese that Hollywood studios are getting actors from China in their movies to bring them to the theaters for better box-office results was tested with the opening of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” in China. The results indicate that the belief has some truth to it because opening weekend receipt was only $31 million.
Unfamiliarity with the “Star Wars” franchise was apparently stronger than the presence of Chinese actors Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen in the film even if the two were not “flower vases” but played important roles.
Weakest Global Market
A comparative chart made by CNBC shows that among the seven major global film markets, China showed the lowest box-office results for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” at $31 million, according to data from ComScore. But other than the U.S. market where the film earned $477.3 million for the opening weekend, the six other markets were significantly lower.
UK yielded $73.7 million and Germany $41.2 million. France, Australia and Japan had almost identical amounts of $33.2 million, $32 million and $31.4 million, respectively.
Marketing Efforts in China
Prior to the opening last week of the film in China, Disney’s marketing partner made a lot of effort to introduce the “Star Wars” franchise to Chinese moviegoers who are the second-largest film market in the world. The stormtroopers, for instance, lined up along the Great Wall of China. Malls in China were also filled with “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” materials, Richard Gelfond, IMAX CEO said.
However, while the movie failed to excite Chinese moviegoers, globally – particularly among Americans – the film is a winner with over $914 million box-office results globally. More than half of the movie’s earnings, or 52.2 percent, were domestically generated, according to Box Office Mojo.