I put this in the TLJ thread in the other forum, but I actually think that TLJ in China is in part due to the overall market volitility in China, and how it is starting to evolve - and not in the way Western media companies thought.
To be honest, that is why I think it's more than just a Star Wars problem. Reading the pundits (even at "reputable" business sites) kind of poo-pooing the significance of TLJ's performance with the "well, SW was never big in China" thing is really...odd to me. Yes, traditionally it wasn't as popular, but then you have TFA to use as a barometer. And from the accounts I have seen thus far, they pushed TLJ just as hard if not harder than they did TFA in China. So the excuse doesn't make much sense, since the drop off from TFA to TLJ is so severe, and doesn't have any of the excuses it might elsewhere (nostalgia boost for the last film, etc).
While some would say "oh, they are just kissing Disney's behind..." by trying to diminish the significance of the Chinese performance, I don't think it's really that - it's much deeper (and more self-serving). These same pundits have been the ones for several years now proclaiming that China is the future of Hollywood - that somehow they were the solution to the mess Hollywood is in (more movies lose money or break even than make money, it's just that the biggest movies make a lot of money to "make up" for it, which is why things are they way they are).
Basically, Western media assumed that China was just sitting there ready to scoff up our product, much like the rest of the world has. I think we are going to find out that was mistaken, for two reasons. One, culturally, of course - while in the Western world we think everyone in a country that has been ruled like China is just itching for the values of capitalism, democracy, etc. - that's just not always the case.
Two, they severely underestimated China's own ability to produce films. Lots of countries make their own films, but let's face it - American/Western cinema rules in almost all cases. In fact, many countries have to have specific rules and limitations on our films playing there versus domestic films because people in so many places are so hungry for our content that they artificially keep the local films afloat as best they can. In China, they have the money and infrastructure to actually compete, and obviously can cater the films directly to their intended audience.
Wanna know something funny? The film that is totally trouncing TLJ right now, the romantic comedy "The Ex-Files 3", is subtitled, "Return of the Exes". And the last one was, "The Ex-Files 2: The Backup Strikes Back". I mean...come on - if scheduling the third film to be released the week before TLJ wasn't an intentional middle finger to Hollywood, it is a striking coincidence.
