Hollywood film "Warcraft" will be seen by Chinese viewers and fanatics two days ahead prior to the United States audience. The global premiere is set on June 8, giving the Chinese fans the advantage of witnessing their most loved games come to life on the big screen.
Prior to the premiere, "Warcraft," based on the internet game "Wold of Warcraft" (WoW) will be screened in different countries. For people wondering why the fantasy film will be debuting in China, it is simply because it has one of the biggest markets for "WoW," according to BBC. China makes up about half of the 5 million "WoW" players around the world.
Aside from the huge fan base, the film production company Legendary Entertainment studio has been a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate, the Wanda Group since January 2016. The decision to hold the "Warcraft" movie premiere in China is also largely influenced by the growing trend in Hollywood to woo China, the publication said.
China has the biggest population in the world. For this reason, the country is the best market for tie-up's and premieres. Lately, a number of Hollywood films are becoming part of the Chinese industry. "The Transformers" movie for instance, was filmed in China, and was funded by Chinese investors.
Despite strict censorship in China, the toned-down version of "Warcraft" still made it into the Chinese market. The Chinese fans got addicted to the game. A new version came in, where the skeletons were covered up with flesh, and the spilt blood turned to a less and darker color.
"Warcraft" is not the first Hollywood film to release in China before the U.S. Some movies, including "Point Break (the remake)," "Penguins of Madagascar," and "Iron Man 3" all debuted in China.
Another important thing to remember why "Warcraft" will succeed in China, according to the publication, is because it overlaps with the Chinese holiday, known as the "Dragon Boat" holiday, Variety reported. The holiday comes a day before the release of the film, giving more chances for people to see the film during the break.
The "Warcraft" film will be seen in 3D, and released by Universal Pictures on June 10 in the U.S. A knock-off "Warcraft" movie entitled "MyWoW," and produced by a Chinese company is slated to be seen before the Hollywood "Warcraft"movie.
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