The upcoming Johnny Depp sci-fi movie "Transcendence" will debut in China on April 18, the same day it's released in the U.S., Chinese company DMG Entertainment said on Monday.
China is also getting an exclusive 3-D version of "Transcendence," the directing debut of Christopher Nolan's longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister.
Getting the movie to Chinese audiences at the same time as American moviegoers is a growing trend and a key tactic for DMG, which is handling distribution for "Transcendence" in China, the world's second biggest film market behind the U.S.
Disney's "Iron Man 3," which DMG also helped distribute, opened in China before its U.S. release and generated about $125 million in the country. Worldwide, it was the biggest movie of 2013, pulling in a total of $1.2 billion.
DMG helped add Chinese elements to both "Iron Man 3" and 2012's "Looper," though it has not done the same with "Transcendence."
In July DMG teamed with Alcon Entertainment to help finance and produce "Transcendence," which follows a scientist trying to create a machine with collective intelligence and human emotions. The film is getting its U.S. release via Warner Bros.
Depp will visit Beijing on March 31 to drum up publicity for the film before the debut. "Transcendence" also stars Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Rebecca Hall.