'Solo' is the latest 'Star Wars' movie to bomb in China, and Disney has a big problem on its hands
- "Solo: A Star Wars Story" had a bad Memorial Day weekend domestically, but an even worse one in China.
- The latest "Star Wars" movie only earned $10.1 million in the second-largest movie market in the world.
- This continues the consistent lackluster performance the franchise has had in the Middle Kingdom.
There aren't many instances when Disney is on the wrong end of a box-office story, but this Memorial Day weekend, that's exactly what happened.
The studio's latest "Star Wars" movie, "Solo," the origin story of legendary franchise character Han Solo, didn't just bomb domestically, but also in the all-important international market.
"Solo" only earned $65 million internationally, according to weekend estimates. That's nowhere close to the Skywalker saga releases Disney has done ("The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi") - both of which did well over $200 million - or even standalone release "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," which took in $135 million internationally its opening weekend.
And things don't get any better for "Solo" in China, the second-largest movie market in the world.
The release only made $10.1 million in the Middle Kingdom, according to early estimates. That put it in third place for the weekend behind two holdovers, "Avengers: Infinity War" ($18 million) and the top earner for the weekend, the Chinese romantic comedy "How Long Will I Love U" ($25 million).
Historically, "Star Wars" has never grabbed the attention in China, but this is a new low for the franchise.
"The Force Awakens" was the only movie in the franchise's Disney era to make any noise there. It was able to muster a respectable $52.3 million opening weekend, which might have made Disney think China was ready for "Star Wars," as it went on to earn $124.1 million its full run there. But it turns out you can chalk that up to the movie just being a global sensation. Recently, "The Last Jedi" had a $28.1 million opening, and went on to only earn a total of $42.5 million in its run there. And "Rogue One," even with the casting of Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, pulled off just a $30 million opening ($69.4 million for its entire run).
Whether it's the "Fast and Furious" movies ("The Fate of the Furious" had a $184.9 million opening and went on to make $392.8 million) or titles where he's the driving force like "San Andreas" ($52.2 million opening, $103.1 million total) or "Rampage" ($55 million open, $154.2 million total), audiences in China can't get enough of him.
It's not all bad for Disney in China, though. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has consistently been strong there. A big reason for that is, unlike the "Star Wars" franchise, the MCU has been released in China since its inception. The original "Star Wars" trilogy wasn't released in China until "A New Hope" opened in 2015.
But "Solo" might be the realization Disney needs that it has to change up its "Star Wars" strategy in China. This might mean less spending on marketing or a softer release strategy. The problem with that is Disney never does anything small with "Star Wars" and, more importantly, China is only growing in the movie business.
In the coming years, China will likely surpass the US as the top movie market in the world thanks to the country's massive building of movie theaters and its own successful homegrown movie productions. Disney certainly doesn't want to be on the outside looking in, especially with one of its major pieces of IP.
Most in the industry Business Insider has spoken to are taking a wait-and-see approach in how Disney will go forward with "Star Wars" in China.
"The Middle Kingdom treats 'Star Wars' like a second-class cinematic citizen," Jeff Bock, senior analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider over the weekend. "They just aren't taken with the space saga, and unless Dwayne Johnson jumps on board, these lackluster grosses will continue."
As far as we know, The Rock isn't joining the franchise any time soon.