The long-awaited sixth and final installment of the
Star
Wars epic,
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, hit
Chinese movie screens in major cities including Beijing, Chengdu,
Shanghai and Guangzhou on May 20, just a day after its
international premiere.
Beijing, however, can boast about an earlier peek screening of
the movie on May 18. Stella?theater in the Haidian District
began selling tickets for the premiere on May 13. The sold-out
screening saw some fans turn up in full Star Wars
regalia.
Local celebrities like Xu Jinglei and Wu Qilong were there to
add a touch of glamour to the night's events.
Daniel R. Glickman, president of the US Motion Picture
Association, too, attended the premiere, and was on-hand to explain
the film's plot to fans.
Xiang Ming, general supervisor of 20th Century Fox China
Affairs, commented that the Star Wars films are
masterpieces, and was very optimistic about the film's box office
performance in China.
Box office takings were relatively small for the first half of
this year?-- only 50 million yuan (about US$6 million).
"Because the summer heavyweights haven't been released, a
box-office surge is sure to come after Star Wars, Mr.
and Mrs. Smith, and some other films."
Episode III is expected to rake in 70-80 million yuan
(US$8.46-9.67 million)?in China, according to the film's
distributors.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiao, May 20, 2005)
