'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Opens Lower Than Expected at China Box Office

Star Wars: The Last Jedi isn't proving to be a major force at the Chinese box office.

The film opened in the largest Asian market on Thursday to a disappointing $9.5 million, including early midnight screenings. China Box Office, a Twitter account operated by Chinese film industry analyst Jonathan Papish, predicts The Last Jedi may come up short of a $40 million mark at the Chinese box office through its entire run.

For comparison, Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned $32.7 million in its opening day. Such a comparison is an unfair one given the anticipation in returning to the Skywalker saga, but Episode VIII also fell short of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's numbers. Rogue One earned $11 million in its opening day in China. Thursday night showings merely accounted for $520,000 of The Last Jedi's haul so far. Rogue One earned $570,000 on the equivalent day.

Still, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is posting impressive numbers through its worldwide run. The Disney and Lucasfilm product has earned more than $540 million domestically and cruised beyond $1.1 billion worldwide.

For reference, Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended its theatrical run with over $2 billion.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now playing in theaters.