While I have not heard of anyone here waiting for weeks in a ticket line, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is nevertheless an event movie in China. Major newspapers have run special Star Wars inserts detailing the mythology and the characters for new viewers, and the premiere brought out all the big stars.

Here are some quick results from the first day of Sith screenings in Beijing. Sina's Entertainment channel, in cooperation with The Beijing News, conducted a survey yesterday of Sith viewers. The article announcing the results doesn't mention the form of the survey - it may have been an online poll. In any case, take the numbers with a grain of salt.

Audience Response: Respondents were generally satisfied with the film. They liked the special effects and didn't really mind the dialogue and characterization. For the most part they understood the plot, although many were not satisfied with it.

Series Ranking: Despite the prequels taking spots 2, 3, and 4 in the rankings of favorite Star Wars episodes, it's comforting to know Chinese audiences recognize the supremacy of Empire. The Beijing News ascribes the low standing of New Hope (which placed 5th) to the desire of young audiences for special effects - for 61% of respondents, SFX were the top attraction of Sith.

Eps. 7, 8, & 9: The final survey question concerned directors: "If the chance existed for further sequels to Star Wars, who would you wish to be director?" Nearly half (46%) of respondents chose George Lucas, followed by Spielberg at 24%. The prospect of Tsui Hark (10%) or Quentin Tarantino (3%) doing Star Wars is intriguing.

A translation of the survey results is in the full article.

Source: The Beijing News article. Image taken from here

1. How many times do you plan on seeing Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith?
   • Once: 47.86%
   • Twice: 20.41%
   • Three or more: 19.75%
   • I don't plan on seeing it: 11.98%
2. How much of the plot of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith did you understand?
   • Completely understood everything: 39.28%
   • Understood most of it: 28.4%
   • Did not understand anything: 14.64%
   • Understood half: 12.2%
   • Basically didn't understand: 5.47%
3. After watching Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, how would you rate this movie? What score do you give it?
   • 80 - satisfied: 43.34%
   • 60 - passing: 25.44%
   • 0 - wouldn't watch it: 12.35%
   • 100 - perfect: 12.13%
   • 40 - disappointed: 4.07%
   • 20 - garbage: 2.66%
4. What about Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith attracted you the most?
   • Special effects: 60.95%
   • Plot: 18.71%
   • Characters and dialogue: 3.77%
   • Action: 3.11%
   • Music: 2.51%
   • Other: 10.95%
5. What did you find most unsatisfactory about Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith?
   • Plot: 30.25%
   • Characters and dialogue: 17.6%
   • Action: 9.62%
   • Special Effects: 3.62%
   • Music: 2.88%
   • Other: 36.02%
6. Which character in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith did you like most?
   • Anakin: 28.03%
   • Obi-wan: 17.31%
   • Amidala: 15.61%
   • Yoda: 15.01%
   • R2D2: 9.25%
   • C3PO: 6.73%
   • General Grievous: 5.33%
   • Chancellor Palpatine: 2.74%
7. Had you seen any other Star Wars movies before watching Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith?
   • Yes: 87.35%
   • No: 12.65%
8. Which is your favorite of the six Star Wars movies?
   • Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back: 21.08%
   • Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith: 18.93%
   • Episode 1: The Phantom Menace: 18.86%
   • Episode 2: Attack of the Clones: 15.16%
   • Episode 4: A New Hope: 14.87%
   • Episode 6: Return of the Jedi: 11.09%
   • If the chance existed for further sequels to Star Wars, who would you wish to be director?
     • George Lucas: 46.01%
     • Steven Spielberg: 24.26%
     • Tsui Hark: 9.99%
     • James Cameron: 5.62%
     • Peter Jackson: 4.81%
     • Quentin Tarantino: 2.88%
     • Other: 6.43%

Survey closed at 5:40pm on 20 May; 1352 forms were submitted.