Star Wars Underperforms In China As Cultural Differences Emerge

Via Forbes.com:

Globally, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has generated $1.8 billion (as of Jan. 18) since it opened in North America throughout the month of December 2015. The movie opened in China on Jan. 9 and was top of the box office for two weekends in a row. It ranked No. 2 in opening day revenues, behind the 2015 launch of Fast and Furious 7, a movie that holds other revenue records as well. The Force Awakens did take the top ranking for a movie to have opened on a Saturday night, however. And, it surpassed $100 million in Chinese ticket sales this week (total non-U.S. revenues have exceeded $1 billion thus far).

Disney, the owner of Star Wars as of 2012, benefits from sales of movie tickets, Disney Interactive’s Infinity Star Wars line, licensed products, and digital games.

In China, consumers appear to love the licensed products, moderately enjoy the movie, and are ho-hum about the digital games (though the official Electronic Arts console game Star Wars: Battlefront has yet to be approved or launched in China).

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