Russian war movie The Dawns Here Are Quiet has sold to China in a deal signed with local titan China Film Group.
The film is due for a theatrical release in China in late August or September, producers Star Media said Thursday. A 44 minute episode television series also sold to as part of the same deal.
It follows the sale of another war film, The Battle for Sevastopol, also to China Film Group earlier this year.
Produced and directed by Renat Davletyarov, Dawns -- one of a slew of war films released late April and early May to mark the 70th anniversary of end of World War II -- took over $5 million at the Russian box office. The release of Avengers: Age of Ultron was moved up to give the film a more advantageous release slot on the orders of Russia's minister of culture, Vladimir Medinsky.
Lumiere Films will distribute the movie in China with details of how many screens to be announced later.
The deal, with China Film Group, a titan in the Chinese film industry that produces, imports, exports and distributes films as well as operating theater chains, managing talent and selling film equipment, reflects Russia's strategic interest in developing new markets in the Asian giant.
Russian cartoon Snow Queen 2 also recently sold to China, a market that earlier this year Russia's deputy minister of communications, Alexey Volin, said could be worth as much as $100 million to Russian producers if movie quotas could be agreed.