Are Hollywood franchises always popular with Chinese audiences?
By Li Qiong
["china"]
China's movie box office is growing at such a rate that Hollywood is now reliant on it to determine if film projects will be labeled as a success. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is Hollywood's latest try.
The Hollywood blockbuster has remained a monster hit around the world. However, after being shown in Chinese cinemas for more than a week, it is considered to be underperforming.
"On the first day, we assigned 36 percent of screenings to 'Star Wars' in our cinema," said Dai Yuzhu, manager of the Shuangjing branch of UME Cinema. "However, the attendance has been disappointing, declining to 16 percent on January 9. So we cut its screening quota to 25 percent."
(From left to right) Producer Ram Bergman, director Rian Johnson and actors Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill arrive for the China premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" at the Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China, December 20, 2017. /Reuters Photo

(From left to right) Producer Ram Bergman, director Rian Johnson and actors Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill arrive for the China premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" at the Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China, December 20, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Despite that, "Star Wars" is still the most frequently screened movie at present. At UME Shuangjing, one of Beijing's busiest cinemas, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is shown almost non-stop from 10:30 in the morning till 1:30 the next morning. And this is just the showing schedule on a work day, despite the fact that turn-outs for the film have not been as high as the allotted screenings.
Movie critics blame the low attendance in China on cultural differences, saying the original films did not have a wide theatrical release and were not part of the cinematic culture.
Basically, Hollywood movies are well received in China because of their delicate pictures, fast tempo and imaginative plots, like "Coco."
The family-themed movie has even performed better in China than in the US. Insiders say that these facts could help Hollywood, which is attaching great importance to the Chinese market, to adjust its strategies in the world's second largest movie market.