Posted in: Movies | Tagged: box office, china, ex-file, HRL, star wars, The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi to Lose Box Office Battle to Chinese Knockoff

Published Fri, 05 Jan 2018 10:50:29 -0600

Star Wars: The Last Jedi won't take the top spot at the Chinese box office this weekend. Instead, the movie will play second fiddle to a Chinese franchise that rips off the iconic original trilogy!

No, we're not talking about the substance of the films. Rather, the titles of the movies are homages to Star Wars' own titles. Currently in theaters and expected to take the top spot for the second week in a row is The Ex-File 3: The Return of the Exes, the third in a comedy series about women taking revenge on ex-boyfriends. If that title sounds a little familiar to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, then you won't be surprised to learn that Ex-File 2 was subtitled "The Backup Strike Back." Ex-File 3 has doubled The Last Jedi's box office take so far this weekend, according to THR.

The problem for Star Wars is that the original trilogy was released before Hollywood realized how much money it could make it China, so the franchise doesn't have the same cultural resonance in China as it does elsewhere. Certainly, it's nothing compared to a blockbuster franchise like the Ex-File films. Ironically, to some Chinese moviegoers, The Empire Strikes Back might be viewed as ripping off Ex-File 2!

Even with the Chinese box office embarrassment, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is still expected to earn more than $1.5 billion by the time its global box office run is finished.

https://youtu.be/VFI_iu4SjiE

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