China has emerged as world's second largest film market, but the Star Wars franchise hasn't found much success in the Chinese market.
Disney's (NYSE: DIS) Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker has come in below industry projections in China.The movie only made for an estimated $10 million to $12 million during the opening weekend in China and ranked in a distant fourth place in the massive Chinese market, earning less than any Disney 'Star Wars' trilogy title to date.
By December 24, The Rise Of Skywalker pulled in only an estimated $22 million. At the same time, Donnie Yen's Ip Man 4: The Finale was the big winner at about $47 million, followed by Sheep Without A Shepherd which added another $24 million there for a $78 million total to date.
Breaking down the overseas performance, the Rise of Skywalker was still the No. 1 Western title in nearly all markets and was the second or third highest opening weekend of the year in several countries. This performance, however, didn't go through the Chinese market and flopped badly.
Previously, Star Wars: The Force Awakens managed $52.3 million on its opening weekend in China for a total of $124.2 million, while Star Wars: The Last Jedi brought in only $28.1 million at launch towards its $42.6 million total.
A large part of the Star Wars franchise's struggles in China stem from the fact that the original three films never received a wide release in the country.The Star Wars franchise has seen steadily diminishing Chinese returns since Disney took over, despite massive efforts to increase hype.
The nostalgia-burdened The Force Awakens made $124 million in 2016, while 2017's Rogue One earned only $69 million despite a pair of strong performances from recognizable Chinese stars Donnie Yen (Ip Man 4) and Jiang Wen. The Last Jedi came in at $42.5 million in 2017, with Solo earning just $16.4 million a year later. Filled with references and fan-service, these films rely heavily on past knowledge and love of Star Wars, something that never existed in China in the first place.