Rogue One's Donnie Yen on Why Chinese Audiences Don't Care About Star Wars

Star Wars is a cultural juggernaut in most countries, with pretty much everyone aware of how influential the franchise is. It has left an impact on most audiences who have seen it, sometimes good, other times bad, but needless to say, people are always talking about the Disney property. People in most countries anyway as the multimedia juggernaut hasn't had much of an impact in China.

According to Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, who starred in the acclaimed Rogue One, the series isn't popular in China because most people there didn't grow up with any of the films. He told JoBlo that the series' space setting might be hurting its chances with Chinese audiences, though he did note that the Marvel movies do well there.

"Chinese audiences didn't grow up with Star Wars culture so, unfortunately, it didn't work. Marvel is a lot easier to understand. Star Wars, there's a whole universe out there. Marvel, from the costumes, to the music, to the idols, to the stars, it's much easier to close the gap between the film itself and the audience."

While the franchise does make money in countries around the world, China has become a big priority for Disney and other Hollywood companies in general. Box office bombs like Warcraft were able to make some money in the country, saving it from being a complete failure. This is probably why Disney wants Star Wars to do well there, especially with how Solo: A Star Wars Story flopped in the US.

Star Wars: Episode IX is slated for a December 20, 2019 release. Here is hoping that it makes some bank in China.

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