The entire saga of the popular "Star Wars" franchise will be available to China's online audience as the Internet giant Tencent has teamed up with Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox.
The partnership eyes to boost the film's brand to the world's second largest movie market in time with Disney's rolling out of global marketing campaign for the anticipated "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in December.
However, financial details were not yet disclosed.
As the good news was announced on Monday, the portal dedicated to the saga also went live. Through this move, the estimated 640 million Internet users in China have gotten legitimate access to the "Star Wars" film franchise.
The six-film saga was released via Tencent's online platforms, including the film and video channels of film.qq.com, v.qq.com and the Tencent Video app.
Moreover, existing Tencent members can avail of the films for 2.5 Chinese yuan per view during this month. For October, the films will be included in their monthly subscription.
Meanwhile, non-members can order the film for 5 yuan per view.
For Carol Choi, The Walt Disney Company China's vice president for marketing, the "excitement for 'Star Wars' is at an all-time high" as they get ready for its global premiere.
"By working with Tencent we can extend the 'Star Wars' franchise to Tencent's massive user base and go to the heart of digital lifestyles in China," she added.
Apart from the films themselves, the partnership will also make additional content (deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes, featurettes and a collection of the saga's extras from each of the original firms) available for viewing online.
"Star Wars" fans can also buy merchandise through the Tencent platform.
Alvin Fu, the managing director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment China, said that "this is huge win for the existing fans as well as those who will be introduced to the iconic movies through this collaboration."
Tencent's senior executive vice president and president for the Tencent Online Media Group Sy Lau also echoed the same sentiment.
"Through this collaboration with Disney and 20th Century Fox, we will elevate and tailor the 'Star Wars' experience for fans via Tencent's strong understanding of the market and the viral network effect of the highly connected Tencent user base," Sy remarked.