• Independence Day

Independence Day (Photo : 20th Century Fox)

Chinese moviegoers’ hunger for good foreign movies apparently is close to bottomless. Proof of this is that all tickets for a special screening of “Independence Day,” a 20-year-old sci-fi movie, was sold out.

China.org reported that "Independence Day" was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival from June 16 through 18, and tickets to all five special screenings were sold out.

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Encouraged by the warm acceptance of Chinese viewers, 20th Century Fox, producer of the movie, will bring the director of “Independence Day” to Beijing to promote the movie’s sequel, said Sirena Liu, managing director, 20th Century Fox China.

The movie, shown in 1996, earned more than $817.4 million in box-office receipts globally. It was 1996’s highest-grossing movie and during that time was the second highest-grossing film. The movie bagged the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Despite the movie not screened in China that year, Chinese fans nevertheless watched “Independence Day” on VHS, VCD and DVD.

Liu explained, “It is a rare opportunity for die-hard fans to see the film for the first time on the big screen, which compensates those who had no chance to see the classic 20 years ago.”

The film’s sequel, “Independence Day: Resurgence,” will be shown in China, simultaneous with its release in other film markets, on June 24. It is also directed by Roland Emmerich who would be with Chinese actress Angelababy – who plays the role of Rain Lao – in Beijing on June 22 to promote the film.

Emmerich said he always thought the 1996 movie was a stand-alone film, but thanks to technology, it became a franchise by borrowing clips from the movies for use in “Independence Day: Resurence.”