With Disney getting set to roll out their latestStar Warsspin-offSoloin theaters next month, the Chinese release date has finally been set. Disney will debutSolo: A Star Wars Storyin the Middle Kingdom on May 25, the same day it will be released in North America, according to a new report. Several sources in Beijing with knowledge ofSolo’s distribution plans stated the Chinese release will be on May 25, although a Disney spokesperson in Shanghai said the studio has not yet officially confirmed that date.
The day-and-date release marks the first time since Disney took over the franchise that aStar Warsmovie will open on the same date in both the U.S. and China. The first three movies,Star Wars: The Force Awakens,Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryandStar Wars: The Last Jediall debuted in the U.S. in mid-December, with the Chinese debuts happening in early January. It’s possible this day-and-date release in China could have been implemented to offset the surprisingly sagging grosses of theStar Warsmovies in China.
Star Wars: The Force Awakensearned a healthy $124.1 million in China, 42.2% of which came from its $52.1 million opening weekend, butStar Wars' hold on the Middle Kingdom has been slipping each subsequent year. The 2016 spin-offRogue One: A Star Wars Storyonly earned $69.4 million in China ($30.4 million debut), even though the movie prominently featured two major Chinese movie stars, Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang. Last year’sStar Wars: The Last Jedislipped even more, taking in just $42.5 million ($28.1 million opening weekend). It was considered an outright bomb in the country, and disappeared from screens quickly after its initial opening weekend. Some in the country even went as far as to say the cast was too ‘unattractive’ for Chinese standards. Given how strong the Chinesebox officemarket usually is, theStar Warsfranchise’s slide is quite unexpected. But the original trilogy never played in China, and the Chinese market doesn’t have the same affinity for the title as fans in the U.S. It is not a beloved property there by any means.
We reported in January that China will releaseSolo: A Star Wars Storyunder the new titleRanger Solo, droppingStar Warsfrom the title completely. Whether or not this strategy will work in China remains to be seen, especially when paired with this day-and-date release.Solo: A Star Warsstory is already quite controversial, after LucasFilm unceremoniously fired directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, four months into the production, replacing them with Ron Howard. There have been reports that Howard essentially reshot the entire movie, since there were reportedly just four weeks left of production. While many expected Disney to ultimately shift the May 25 release date to mid-December, like the first threeStar Warsmovies underDisney, the studio held their ground and kept its Memorial Day weekend release date intact, which also marks the 41st anniversary of the film that started it all,Star Wars: A New Hope.
A new report that surfaced yesterday claimed thatSolo: A Star Wars Storytickets won’t go on sale until May 4, which has become known asStar WarsDay (May the 4th be with you), so it’s not surprising that tickets will go on sale then.Solo: A Star Wars Storywill have theMemorial Day weekend to itself, with no other movies opening in wide release, but it will arrive just a week after the highly-anticipated superhero sequelDeadpool 2, and roughly a month after the first major blockbuster of the summer movie season, Marvel’sAvengers: Infinity War, arriving April 27. You can head over toThe Hollywood Reporterfor more on their report onSolo: A Star Wars Storyopening in China next month.
