When I hear about the "space opera" sub-genre of sci-fi, I automatically think of Star Wars. Space Operas, in the simplest terms, are galactic sci-fi stories that are either simplistic in their storytelling or even melodramatic. They also have pulpy elements, sometimes giving these stories a cheesy, B-movie feel (and usually a romantic subplot as well). Star Wars, despite become a huge pop-culture phenomenon, is at it's core a pulpy space opera.
The story spans across the galaxy as we follow two droids with valuable information about how to destroy the empire. The two find themselves in the hands of the Skywalkers, where they meet Luke, a quiet, lonely outsider who doesn't seem like much of a hero. However, when his aunt and uncle are murdered, he gangs up with a bounty hunter named Han Solo (who brings out more of the western, badass hero tropes from the sub-genre) and the wise old Jedi, Obi-Wan, to destroy a threat that plans on destroying the galaxy. The idea of a small, insignificant character being brought up to fight a threat much larger than he could have ever imagined with the help of his gang helped this film feel massive, despite it's pulpy, B-movie roots and production values.
However, this sub-genre isn't always a sure-fire success for other pieces of literature like it was for Star Wars. In fact, it's more on the "nerdy" side of the spectrum. This is why a book like The Martian is successful in today's day and age. The book is about a man, Mark Watney, who gets accidentally stranded on Mars and has to find a way to survive on his own. The idea of going from living conformably to dealing with something much larger than yourself (surviving on Mars) has elements of Space Opera without abiding by all the "rules". Mark even goes as far later on to refer to himself as a "space pirate", joking about the ridiculousness of his situation. Despite this, the grounded approach to this fictitious idea is what made it successful as a novel, and then a movie soon after.
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