While "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" managed to smash many box office records in its path, the Chinese demographic of viewers may prove to be a bit more challenging. With some analysts claiming that Disney is looking at the film as a means of brand building among a new generation of consumers in the world's most populous country.
While George Lucas' trilogy was not screened in theaters in China when the films were first released, experts claimed that the majority of the general public in China did not have quite a fondness enough to pass on the movie bug to a younger generation.
While viewers in China are familiar with the franchise, analysts feel repeated visits to the cinema to contribute to record breaking figures will be lacking in this part of the world unlike in the United States, Wired reported.
In America and Europe, the success of "Star Wars" is bolstered by the fact that fans of the original trilogy still remain. Professor Michael Berry of contemporary Chinese cultural studies at the University of California told the publication, "part of the box office success is the accumulated cultural memories. Parents see it and they bring their kids. In China, it is a very, very different history."
According to China Film Insider the lack of familiarity however has not kept the Disney marketing wave away, as the film made its debut in Chinese theaters recently, it is estimated to have earned more than $50 million within two days of its screening.
In an email obtained by the publication, Disney's Spokesman Dominic Hougham played up the figure and said the film earned the biggest opening, and the "highest Saturday/Sunday opening of all-time heralding new records for the film."
However, beneath those figures is a clear indication that suggests that "The Force Awakens" failed to reach a new generation of Chinese moviegoers. Many critics claimed that while the film created history by opening on a Saturday and thereby being the biggest Saturday opening of all-time, it takes the figures out of context.
Some analysts believe that not much can be expected from the latest "Star Wars" film to outperform Chinese-box-office hits like "The Fast and Furious 7," China's biggest-grossing movie, and "Avengers: Age of Ultron." However, while a moderate success in China may seem as a flop to some, for Disney, the movie is an opening in the battle for long term brand development.
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