Will Alice and the Mad Hatter put an end to Avatar's record-breaking run in China's cinemas?

For movie fans who have spent the last few weeks queuing overnight and in the wintry weather for tickets to see James Cameron's science-fiction blockbuster, the situation is getting more curious.

Disney's latest adventure, "Alice in Wonderland", is scheduled to open in 3-D and IMAX joint release on March 26, marking the end of the line for "Avatar" in many cinemas.

"We will stop screening 'Avatar' Sunday," Li Xianping, general manager of Beijing Ziguang Cinema, said Thursday.

Li said she had too many films to manage, including American director Chris Columbus' adventure "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief".

"And there is 'Alice in Wonderland' coming," Li added.

Tim Burton's latest film, starring Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska, is an extension of Lewis Carroll's tales "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass". The fantasy adventure depicts a 19-year-old Alice who attempts to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

Tickets for "Avatar" after March 23 in the cinemas of Shanghai United Circuit, a major distributor in the country, are not available.

However, Wu Hehu, deputy general manager of the group, which includes the Peace Cinema, said it was still undecided whether "Avatar" would continue after that day.

"'Avatar' accounts for about 50 percent of the box office," said Wu. "But for those who want to see the film, tickets are not that difficult to buy."

Wu did not rule out the possibility that "Avatar" would be screened with "Alice in Wonderland", saying it depended on the latter's performance in cinemas.

Outside the China National Film Museum (CNFM) in Beijing, which has the largest IMAX screen in the country, people were still lining up for hours in the morning for "Avatar" tickets, Song Lichen, communications officer at the museum, said Thursday.

"The tickets are hard to come by," said office worker Chen Hong in Beijing, "I've tried to queue for one three times, but every time I returned home empty-handed."

The museum initially decided to suspend the screening of "Avatar" on March 31 to make preparations for "Alice in Wonderland".

Song said the museum was planning to rent a print of the blockbuster for more screenings along with "Alice in Wonderland".

"But we are not sure whether we will be able to do the deal," Song said.

Chen said she would quit trying to get tickets for "Avatar" and wait for "Alice in Wonderland". But Sang Tong, a college student in Beijing, said he wanted to see the both in CNFM if he could get tickets after March.

Weng Li, spokesman of China Film Group Corporation, which imported the film, said Thursday the company would still distribute it if cinemas wanted to extend screenings.

"Avatar" had taken about 1.26 billion yuan (US$184.57 million) as of Tuesday since its release on Jan. 4, becoming the most successful film in China in terms of box office, said Weng.

Though it achieved huge success and won three Oscars, including best visual effects, critics lambasted it for a clichéd plot. Commentator "mars1368" wrote on Tianya.com in January that the film was lousy and depended solely on novel technology.

The Beijing Youth Daily newspaper carried an article Tuesday saying that "Avatar" never deserved to win the best picture Oscar, for which it was nominated but passed over.