Page 30 - Aruba Today
P. 30
A30
PEOPLE & ARTSTuesday 29 December 2015
‘Star Wars’ makers have high hopes for China success
From left, director J.J. Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, actress Daisy Ridley and actor John miere in Shanghai with a here yet,” she said.
Boyega pose with droids character BB-8 and R2-D2 on stage during the premiere of “Star Wars: Chinese audience Sunday “Certainly we’re hoping
The Force Awakens” in Shanghai, China, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015. night. He told a news con- and anticipating that it will
ference Monday that he play very very well here.”
(Chinatopix via AP) was thrilled to see people The Chinese market has be-
“laughing and cheering come increasingly impor-
SHANGHAI (AP) — The lat- but producers anticipate market. in exactly the same plac- tant for Hollywood as rev-
est Star Wars movie broke “The Force Awakens” will The film opens in China on es that we’ve seen other enues from movie theaters
the $1 billion mark before play “very very well” in the Jan. 9. Director J.J. Abrams audiences.” “Star Wars: stagnate at home. Some
fans in China could see it, world’s second-biggest film watched the Chinese pre- The Force Awakens” took movies have incorporated
12 days to earn $1 billion Chinese characters or sto-
worldwide, becoming the ries to try to appeal to the
fastest movie to achieve Chinese movie-going audi-
such a feat. The previous ence. Asked whether “Star
movie to reach $1 billion Wars” movies would do the
the fastest was “Jurassic same in the future, Kennedy
World,” which did it in 13 said they had just finished
days in June — and which shooting “Rogue One,” the
had the benefit of record first stand alone “Star Wars”
grosses in China. story. Hong Kong martial
“Star Wars” producer Kath- arts actor Donnie Yen and
leen Kennedy said the Chinese actor and director
movie’s success to date Jiang Wen have roles in it.
was “a huge surprise.” “They play wonderful char-
“We certainly hoped for acters and certainly there
enormous success but are many mythologies in-
I think the fact that we side Chinese literature that
crossed the billion-dollars ... I know we can explore in
it’s almost so overwhelming the future and find ways
it’s difficult to really process in which we can integrate
just what the response has some of those stories into
been to the movie so far, the Star Wars universe,”
and it hasn’t even opened said Kennedy.q
