Star Wars spin-off records considerably smaller box-office figures than its franchise predecessor on first weekend as Chinese audiences fail to flock

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has opened in China to significantly smaller box-office figures than its franchise predecessor, The Force Awakens.

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According to figures published by Chinese research agency Entbot, Rogue One made a total of $30.6m on its first weekend, a drop of 57% from Force Awakens’ opening result of $53.6m, which was released in a near-identical calendar slot in 2016.

A number of factors are thought to be at play: not only has the Chinese box office stagnated in 2016, with growth falling well short of expectations, but the Star Wars series has less traction in the country than in other areas of the world (the figures for Force Awakens were themselves considered somewhat disappointing).

However, the inclusion of China-audience friendly stars, such as Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen, as well as a huge screenings schedule (some 89,000 per day, more than double the runner-up, homegrown romcom Some Like It Hot), appear not to have paid dividends.

China’s new year season – this year, in early February – is prime filmgoing territory, but is reserved for locally produced films, with Hollywood blockbusters forced to jostle for space in the weeks beforehand. Rogue One’s run in cinemas – likely to be the standard four weeks given to overseas films – will be hampered even further by the arrival of Passengers, the Jennifer Lawrence/Chris Pratt space romance, released in China on 13 January.

Record-breaking levels of pollution have also been cited as a reason that Chinese audiences may be staying at home.