‘Star Wars’ China Challenge: Can ‘Rogue One’ Take Off After ‘Force Awakens’ Disappointment?

Disney is pulling out all the stops to make sure the next film in arguably its most important franchise is a massive hit in the world’s second-biggest market.

Jonathan Papish, an industry analyst at China Film Insider, told TheWrap the younger-skewing Chinese audience didn’t understand the movie’s plot — perhaps because the original “Star Wars” films never made it to what was then a closed movie market.

Disney’s culturally conscious casting of Chinese movie stars Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen should help differentiate “Rogue One,” even if the country’s audience is sophisticated enough to see through blatantly obvious attempts to add Chinese elements to tentpole movies.

[...] journalists and critics who have seen a 28-minute clip of the movie can attest to at least one scene highlighting Yen — a multiple-time martial arts champion — in his full ass-kicking glory.

Bringing in the likes of Yen, who is a household name in China for his portrayal of legendary martial arts instructor Yip Man in the “Ip Man” trilogy, should help excite the country’s evidently lukewarm “Star Wars” fans.

The biggest challenge for “Rogue One,” which hits U.S. theaters on Dec. 16, could have been its release date in China, which remained a mystery until Tuesday, when it was confirmed to hit the country’s cinemas on Jan. 6, according to the official Star Wars Weibo account.