"X-Men Apocalypse" will hit Chinese theaters on June 3. (Photo : www.screenrant.com)
Chinese moviegoers are in for a treat this June as several foreign films battle it out for China's box office, wrote China Radio International.
"X-Men: Apocalypse" will pop the champagne as it opens in Chinese theaters on June 3. The film, which premiered in the U.K. on May 9, stars Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence, among others.
The Marvel film will be shown five days ahead of the American fantasy film "Warcraft," which will hold its global premiere in China on June 8. The decision to debut in China is a strategic one, especially as the country is one of the largest markets for the World of Warcraft (WoW) game, where the movie is based on.
According to BBC, Chinese account for half of the 5 million WoW players.
Meanwhile, Disney film "Finding Dory" will kick off on June 17. The sequel to "Finding Nemo" will be released in China on the same date as the U.S..
American sci-fi "Independence Day: Resurgence" and action picture "Now You See Me 2" are expected to go head-to-head on June 24. The former will see the comeback of Bill Pullman, Brent Spiner, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica Fox and Judd Hirsch from the first movie, while Liam Hemsworth is set to enter with a new character.
Another movie sequel, "Now You See Me 2" stars Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson and Jay Chou.
Alibaba-backed "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" veers slightly away from the June competition with a July 2 release date.
Five local films are also underway to heat up the box-office competition next month.
"It could prove to be a difficult battleground for domestic films, especially for art-house films," told CRIEnglish.
China is an important market for international filmmakers.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Chinese film market is poised to beat North America's as the world's largest this year, ballooning by 48.7 percent to $6.78 billion in 2015.
