Dwayne Johnson
Paramount's "Hercules" made its debut in China on Oct. 21, Tuesday, and it was warmly welcomed by Chinese moviegoers who apparently appreciate watching 3-D movies.
Although it was expected that "Hercules" would already draw Chinese fans just for the appearance of lead actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the film, reservations had to be made for the viewers' distinct taste between 2-D and 3-D films.
On Oct. 16, The Rock came with director Brett Ratner in Beijing to promote the Hollywood action-adventure film.
According to the director, "Hercules" was originally shot in 3-D and not converted from a 2-D version.
"Please see the movie on the biggest 3-D screen [as much as] possible because the movie was designed like that," said Ratner at a news conference.
"Unfortunately, some Hollywood movies were made in 2-D and transferred into 3-D just for Chinese audiences. I think that's wrong," the director added.
In order to cater to the Chinese market where audiences are not likely to watch 2-D films, a lot of Hollywood films are converted into 3-D from their original formats, such as the sci-fi film "Lucy" starring Scarlett Johansson, the director explained.
By 2013, there were more than 10,000 3-D screens in China. There had been a significant increase since the country started installing 3-D screens in 2007.
On Oct. 21, Tuesday, "Hercules" was made available on Digital HD featuring an extended scene. On Nov. 4, the film will be available on Blu-ray and DVD, according to Coming Soon.
The story of "Hercules" revolves around The Rock's title character leading a group of warriors to protect innocent people from the threat posed by a terrifying new enemy.
Joining The Rock in the "Hercules" cast are Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes and Peter Mullan, among others.
