Box Office Analysts Expect Black Panther To Outperform Star Wars: The Last Jedi In China

Star Wars: The Last Jedi might have enjoyed both commercial and critical success during its theatrical run, however, The Force Awakens sequel struggled at the Chinese box office, failing to claim the top spot at the second largest global box office market.

Now, as Black Panther approaches its opening in China, analysts express confidence that the film will outperform The Last Jedi's earning at the foreign box office market.

According to the Business Insider, comScore box-office analyst believes that Marvel's Black Panther will continue to exceed expectations, saying that the film will most likely earn more than The Last Jedi in China's box office.

Unlike Star Wars which never really got to have a strong hold in the East Asian country (the original trilogy wasn't released in China until The Force Awakens was released back in 2015), the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had more international recognition, with many of the Marvel's films outperforming recent Star Wars releases outside of The Force Awakens.

While The Force Awakens benefited from the hype of a decade-long Star Wars come back, eagerness for the franchise tapered off while the earnings for Marvel movies stayed strong. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 earned $100 million at the Chinese box office and Spider-Man: Homecoming gathered $116.2 million.

Therefore it stands to reason that Black Panther will continue succeeding in China. Not only has the film achieved commercial success, but it's also been well-received by both fans and critics, many appreciating how the film proves the value of ethnic representation in cinemas. Besides, Marvel has also been marketing the film to its Chinese audience, releasing a new Chinese trailer for the film. Disney's pretty serious about Black Panther winning.

Black Panther is currently screening in cinemas.

Read: Marvel's Black Panther is Now The 9th Highest-Grossing Film at Domestic Box Office