China Box Office Thread | Oppenheimer-August 30

[nVIDIADriver]

11 hours ago, TigerPaw said:

Thanks a million! It really helps!

It is 2.30pm now on a Sunday, 27m yuan for R1 now, so i will expect 54m yuan for today.. Disappointing again. Anything above this will be a bonus. =(

 

 

Sorry I made a mistake, last Sunday was holiday hence the pre-sales were stronger than normal. I corrected my post.

[nVIDIADriver]

IMO, there are two reasons why Chinese general audiences dislike new Star Wars films. Firstly, the style of visual effect doesn't match Chinese audiences' taste, they prefer to the style of the prequel trilogy especially RotS, which is more epic (even it's a little bit plastic) and which has more battlefield scenes. Then, the more fatal reason is that the relationship of characters make audiences feel confusing, most general audiences here had never seen the original trilogy before hence they cannot properly understand the motivations of each character in either TFA or RO. Who is that lady at the final scene? they don't know. And how about Darth Vader? For them he is just a strange men wear a funny black mask rather than the most famous villain in the film history.

[Giesi]

If that's all true what I'm reading here, I think Star Wars is doomed in China and some other asian markets. There are some huuuuge barriers to overcome, and TFA may have made too much damage! Disney can do what they want, any SW movie from now is destined to fail, I guess.

[Olive]

Actually Disney tried their best to promote R1 online ,but it didn't work.

[KP1025]

31 minutes ago, nVIDIADriver said:

IMO, there are two reasons why Chinese general audiences dislike new Star Wars films. Firstly, the style of visual effect doesn't match Chinese audiences' taste, they prefer to the style of the prequel trilogy especially RotS, which is more epic (even it's a little bit plastic) and which has more battlefield scenes. 

 

 

This is a good point. My friends were complaining about how slow TFA felt with limited action throughout the movie and not any "WOW" scenes. The other 2015 BO juggernauts like F7, AoU, and JW all vastly surpassed TFA in China because they were exactly the type of film Chinese audiences enjoy watching in theaters. TFA was too story-driven and too boring to watch for many new viewers unfamiliar with the franchise.

[nVIDIADriver]

54 minutes ago, Giesi said:

If that's all true what I'm reading here, I think Star Wars is doomed in China and some other asian markets. There are some huuuuge barriers to overcome, and TFA may have made too much damage! Disney can do what they want, any SW movie from now is destined to fail, I guess.

Just in China and some Asian countries.

 

I think it's just fine. Star Wars is very powerful in North America and European countries, not that strong but still decent in Lantin America. We can see that TFA earn a fantastic $2B worldwide and RO will still pass $1B, as the contribution of China, about 6% of total run, is not that crucial like some other films such as Transformers, it's impossible for Disney to give up American and European audiences and change the style to please Asian audiences.

 

In general, no film can satisfy everyone. 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2017 by nVIDIADriver

[trifle]

I'm hoping China will enjoy Passengers for the reasons some here are saying China doesn't respond well to Rogue One.  Passengers is definitely a spectacle film, very easy on the eyes.

 

 

[Daxtreme]

One thing too...

 

China is literally THE country in the world where studios get the least amount of returns per $ grossed, so... by that logic, it's also the country where the amount of $ grossed matters the less.

 

However, the ungodly amount of $ movies gross there offset that.

 

Still, $ grossed in the US is worth more than double $ grossed in China, so I'd say Disney shouldn't be too mad about that distribution.

[Gavin Feng]

2 hours ago, Daxtreme said:

One thing too...

 

China is literally THE country in the world where studios get the least amount of returns per $ grossed, so... by that logic, it's also the country where the amount of $ grossed matters the less.

 

However, the ungodly amount of $ movies gross there offset that.

 

Still, $ grossed in the US is worth more than double $ grossed in China, so I'd say Disney shouldn't be too mad about that distribution.

Hollywood studio will get 25% of gross which doesn’t include tax.

 

But I still hope SW will keep its style though most Chinese don’t like the visual effect of traditional classic style but eye-catching and even pompous. 

Edited January 9, 2017 by Gavin Feng

[Ariana]

11 hours ago, TigerPaw said:

Finn especially. I like Daisey Ridely, but John Boyega is awful to watch. =.= You have no idea how many times during Force Awakens I hope he gets killed off instead of Han Solo. LOL =/

But as I mentioned at the Int Box Office chat ( Getting lazy, so I will paste it here).

It depends on numerous factors.

1) R1's WOM is better than TFA in China, so can it gain some fans for Ep8? 

2) How much effort/marketing budget is Disney going to put for this? Or is it giving up on China?

3) Will Carrie Fisher's death cause China movie-goers to support the movie? I mean many of them treat Paul Walker as their own after he is deceased, FF7 exploded at China's box office despite Paul Walker not being a big name there..but once he is deceased, all Chinese love him and watch the whole F&F series... Will this effect be the same for Carrie Fisher?

So... with all this in mind, Ep8 may still have a slight chance of doing well. It will do better than R1 IMO (exchange rate by then will be better too), but worse than TFA. TFA was the worst way to introduce Star Wars to the Chinese Audience IMO.

 

Many Chinese people that I talked to have reacted the same.  He gave them an unforgettable first impression. They felt like he was being in labor every time he showed up in the screen with his weird panting noises and awkward acting. Finn is Jar Jar Binks of this trilogy, but he isn't just a supporting character, he's the goddamn male lead, tada~~~  

 

8 hours ago, nVIDIADriver said:

Just in China and some Asian countries.

 

I think it's just fine. Star Wars is very powerful in North America and European countries, not that strong but still decent in Lantin America. We can see that TFA earn a fantastic $2B worldwide and RO will still pass $1B, as the contribution of China, about 6% of total run, is not that crucial like some other films such as Transformers, it's impossible for Disney to give up American and European audiences and change the style to please Asian audiences.

 

In general, no film can satisfy everyone. 

 

 

 

So... Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy will become the new King and Queen of Scifi, right? These two can please every markets, including US and China. I hope SW fanboys won't bitch and complain when the other franchises defeat SW's future movies in the worldwide BO, because they are the only one who want SW franchise to stay that way.

 

P/s: actually, in some European countries, Ro1 stayed in No.1 for a just a few days.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Ariana

[nVIDIADriver]

1 hour ago, Ariana said:

 

Many Chinese people that I talked to have reacted the same.  He gave them an unforgettable first impression. They felt like he was being in labor every time he showed up in the screen with his weird panting noises and awkward acting. Finn is Jar Jar Binks of this trilogy, but he isn't just a supporting character, he's the goddamn male lead, tada~~~  

 

 

So... Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy will become the new King and Queen of Scifi, right? These two can please every markets, including US and China. I hope SW fanboys won't bitch and complain when the other franchises defeat SW's future movies in the worldwide BO, because they are the only one who want SW franchise to stay that way.

 

P/s: actually, in some European countries, Ro1 stayed in No.1 for a just a few days.

 

As a big Star Wars fan, I am okay if other films defeat Star Wars film in the future. but this will not lower the significant achievement what Star Wars series had earned. 

 

But, I am not sure if GotG can be the queen of Sci-Fi films, even though it's very funny and can attract more audiences than other comic films, as a sequel it's possible for a well-made one to get more money in the worldwide, but really really hard to be the king-size like Avatar, Titanic and TFA.

[titanic2187]

it's foolish to claim that smog-weather affect the R1's gross in china, i dont know why deadline keep highlight that theory, air pollution doesn't close down cinema, movie-going is an indoor activity....so hard to justify the so-so opening

[Lihongkim]

From China film insider :

Despite having two major Chinese actors, Rogue One doesn’t resonate with China’s audience.

[FantasticBeasts]

China is the biggest overseas country guys. I am sure Disney won't b happy with the performance of Rogue One. Not only for the number itself but because it kind of shows that SW may never reach the heights of TFA again in a market that there was already a ton of room for growth

SW is OK obviously. It could be OK with North America alone. But it is my opinion that SW8 will show a respectable drop from TFA. I wouldn't call 1.5b an easy goal at all.

TFA may have been a huge succes in the short-run but in the long run, it may have done some  harm for the SW franchise. At least in some countries. 

But on the other hand, I believe it was inevitable. Those countries were never into Star Wars. I bet a lot of people hadn't seen a single SW movie until TFA. It wouldn't have been easy task to gain them.

That's not the case in Asia only. I grew up in europe and I can tell you that during my adolescence there were very few guys from my age that had seen the SW movies. Like very very few. We knew star wars just from the toys.. It's not like all european countries are all in for SW. There are a lot of countries were it did from OK to not-so-good business.

[terrestrial]

3 hours ago, Ariana said:

So... Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy will become the new King and Queen of Scifi, right? These two can please every markets, including US and China. I hope SW fanboys won't bitch and complain when the other franchises defeat SW's future movies in the worldwide BO, because they are the only one who want SW franchise to stay that way.

P/s: actually, in some European countries, Ro1 stayed in No.1 for a just a few days.

Still trying to spread bias based on twisted details?

SW 7 e.g. was not OS 'king', never saw any SW fan react badly to that. Why should they? Why not like or .... a film for itself, don't conclude out of BO... about peoples future or actual reactions. 

GotG 1 made $440m OS, $96.something of that coming out of China.

Not sure why named together with Avatar.

To please every market has also nothing to do with a 'must' or how a film/... is perceived elsewhere incl its general story, quality,.... If design and fights are named as reason one, then it is not about details at least a big part of the audience in other countries care in the same way, see at least a part is celebrating those too.

So some details are not liked in one region, but is greatly embraced in others.... (in my POV way too generalized)? And? Where is the 'problem'? Why shouldn't they co-exists? Btw, also e.g. GotG did not do equally good in all markets (see e.g. local competition again)... 

 

People can like and / or love all 3 (GotG, Avatar, and SW)

 

A few countries had record breaking local films and... SW R1 was also #1 for longer times in other countries... and? Doesn't say anything about the real details per country, including why it is seen in which way. That counts for all films, no matter the franchise or genre, btw.

You seem to pick always or way too often only the details that imply a picture not giving the real/complete picture. In my POV that is trying to twisting the 'truth'. I am wondering why you feel the need to do that, try more balanced arguments for a change as an idea? 

 

I do not understand this absolute good / bad posts based on - it seems in the sum of the posts all over BOT - strong dislike about one character (or its actor). Real frustration about...? Trying to convince people about...? 

[Ariana]

So Finn is your favourite character? We get it. I don't have any problems with him either. I watch SW because it's SW, simple as that, not because of any single characters. But people was talking about the fact that many Chinese moviegoers didn't like Finn, his acting was bad and awkward, they felt uncomfortable every time he showed up. It's not biased, it's the truth, the reality. Do you know that Han Solo is one of the most favourite TFA characters in Weibo's public poll, while Finn is left far behind? Ford's charm and acting woos the young audience, despite the fact that now he's just a supporting character and a 74-year-old actor.

[George Parr]

21 minutes ago, Ariana said:

So Finn is your favourite character? We get it. I don't have any problems with him either. I watch SW because it's SW, simple as that, not because of any single characters. But people was talking about the fact that many Chinese moviegoers didn't like Finn, his acting was bad and awkward, they felt uncomfortable every time he showed up. It's not biased, it's the truth, the reality. Do you know that Han Solo is one of the most favourite TFA characters in Weibo's public poll, while Finn is left far behind? Ford's charm and acting woos the young audience, despite the fact that now he's just a supporting character and a 74-year-old actor.

 

That has pretty much nothing to do with what terrestrial was writing, you are basically putting words into her mouth.

 

The bias that gets mentioned is about the performance, which you make sound far worse than it actually is, and the idea that just because one market doesn't like a particular detail or actor doesn't mean that this is true for all the other markets as well. Most markets had zero problems with Finn. Neither was the acting by John Boyega considered bad or awkward, nor did people mind his role.

 

That's the whole point that got made earlier on. Movies keep to a certain style, if that style doesn't fit with audiences in a foreign market, tough luck, they aren't going to change a decade-old franchise just to accomodate what the audience elsewhere likes, because that just risks the audiences in the successful markets.

Edited January 9, 2017 by George Parr

[TommyA10]

6 minutes ago, George Parr said:

 

That has pretty much nothing to do with what terrestrial was writing, you are basically putting words into her mouth.

 

The bias that gets mentioned is about the performance, which you make sound far worse than it actually is, and the idea that just because one market doesn't like a particular detail or actor doesn't mean that this is true for all the other markets as well. Most markets had zero problems with Finn. Neither was the acting by John Boyega considered bad or awkward, nor did people mind his role.

 

That's the whole point that got made earlier on. Movies keep to a certain style, if that style doesn't fit with audiences in a foreign market, tough luck, they aren't going to change a decade-old franchise just to accomodate what the audience elsewhere likes, because that just risks the audiences in the successful markets.

Exactly, why mindlessly change the biggest brand in general WW, for some extra cash, risking much more in the process. TFA made Disney more money in the U.K. than AOU made them in China (Speaking of pure profit here). Also, its not like SW movies are making Zero money in China, and Disney is struggling to make a profit on them WW. 99.9% of movies would kill to make the same profit RO will make for Disney in the US alone.

[terrestrial]

8 hours ago, Ariana said:

So Finn is your favourite character? We get it. I don't have any problems with him either. I watch SW because it's SW, simple as that, not because of any single characters. But people was talking about the fact that many Chinese moviegoers didn't like Finn, his acting was bad and awkward, they felt uncomfortable every time he showed up. It's not biased, it's the truth, the reality. Do you know that Han Solo is one of the most favourite TFA characters in Weibo's public poll, while Finn is left far behind? Ford's charm and acting woos the young audience, despite the fact that now he's just a supporting character and a 74-year-old actor.

Who says that? Wow...

see what George Parr wrote. 

 

You are aware about people liking a film without being 'fans', but still are interested into the BO, .... sometimes for complete other reasons as you seem to assume.

You write too general counting IMHO:

like 'his acting was bad...' = I rarely heard or read that. Some might not have been happy with the idea behind the role, but that is about another reason, not what gets reasoned here.

It is not the truth / reality,... as long as the real GA (and not some fanboy driven internet-outlet) say so in a bias-free formulated survey... as 100% counting - to give another interpretation of 'truth / reality'. Or its something in between

Favourite character... says nothing about acting ability. Weibo...  really?

 

Only because people speak up against one-sided presentations of details of the whole, does not mean the person is even a fan.

I'd do that (and very often have) speak up about such styles / behaviour if it is about a film that either does not interest me at all or I even strongly dislike. Don't confuse critique on one-sided presentation style as being 'hurt/miffed' out of fandom.

I am not a fan of any film series in complete (I like some parts, I dislike some parts about all film series I ever watched, incl SW).

In case you use a mobile: log in per pc and read my signature and what above the avatar picture / under the user name there is to read, maybe you get then the drift. 

 

Edited January 9, 2017 by terrestrial

[PPZVGOS]

4 hours ago, Lihongkim said:

From China film insider :

Despite having two major Chinese actors, Rogue One doesn’t resonate with China’s audience.

 

Good, I came in here to post the same link, but knew someone else probably already did it for me. 

 

Well, that article from CFI, 100% confirms what I have been saying on this as well as on a Star Wars forum, about how many people perceive this franchise in non-Anglophone countries and especially in places like China, East Asia in general and Lat-Am. 

 

First of all, the dialogue sounds bizarre, clumsy and even nonsensical to many non-English speakers. Second, the context is simply not known or understood. Third, there's a perceived lack of action for many foreign audiences. 

 

Also, Chinese audiences were very pleased with Yen and Wen, but were not happy to see them die (again, lack of context awareness) 

 

If I were Kathleen Kennedy, I would focus primarily on pleasing my core, vast, and super-lucrative Anglophone audience, then maybe the Euro-audience, and the rest of the world may have the time to decide if they are to like Star Wars or not.