- 20th Century Studios will release the sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar on December 16 in mainland China.
- The film will be released the same day as global release.
- It’s one of the few foreign films to be released in China in recent months
20th Century Studios will release the sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar on December 16 in mainland China.
The studio announced on Wednesday that Avatar: The Way of Water will be released in China on the same day as globally.
It’s one of the few foreign films to be released in China in recent months, along with the latest Minions feature and Where the Crawdads Sing.
Foreign films have traditionally struggled to get release dates in mainland China due to strict limitations on the amount allowed to broadcast. Many are barred due to content Chinese officials find unseemly.
Hollywood films have had trouble showing in China recently. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was also denied a China release this year.
China’s film studios are increasingly generating their own copies of Hollywood’s high-octane blockbusters.
The Wolf Warrior franchise and The Battle at Changjin Lake are popular with Chinese moviegoers who want to see more Chinese-centric films.
Since Chinese movie ticket sales surpassed US sales in 2020, the Chinese movie sector has been affected by COVID-19 regulations. Cinemas across the country are often told to close or limit attendance.
As cases rise, residents in many places are avoiding movie theaters.
According to the Chinese movie statistics app Dengta, China’s box office take this year is $4bn. It’s down from 2019’s $8.9bn and even 2018’s $6.5bn.
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