Warner Bros.' movie "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" is one of the upcoming six Hollywood films to be released in China this month.
The movie based on J.K. Rowling's book will be released in Chinese theatres on November 16 along with other films receiving Chinese outings in the month of November, including "The House With a Clock in Its Walls" (Nov. 1), Disney's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" (Nov. 2), Sony's "Venom" (Nov. 9), Disney animation "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (Nov. 23) and the previously announced "Crazy Rich Asians" (Nov. 30). Warner's "Aquaman" is also set for release on Dec. 7.
The dates were announced by Motion Picture Association Asia-Pacific Managing Director Michael Ellis last Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The seven movies reportedly will be imported under China's quota rules and receive releases through Chinese state-owned distributors. It can be recalled that Hollywood studios are not directly allowed to release their own titles in China.
"It is possible that China intends to open the market more or test the market, but the government doesn't want to make it official yet due to the tension between USA and China," said Xin Zhang, IHS Markit's senior analyst for film and cinema.
"The door remains open to our pictures. And (our studios) are getting paid," Ellis also said Tuesday at the U.S.-China Entertainment Summit, hosted by the Asia Society, in Los Angeles.
