Russian sci-fi film Attraction, which is currently in production, has been sold to China for a wide theatrical release next year.
The deal was signed by Attraction's production company Art Pictures Studio and China's H.G.C. Entertainment at the Cannes film market.
Directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk, the helmer of Stalingrad, Russia's all-time highest-grossing local film, Attraction is centered on an alien invasion of Earth.
"Attraction can boast of a unique creative approach to filmmaking as well as the ultimate visual breakthrough," said H.G.C. Entertainment president Li Zhong Wu. "This movie reminds us of the Hollywood blockbuster Independence Day."
He continued: "We are looking forward to our continued cooperation with Art Pictures Studio bringing in an exclusive five-year distribution partnership. Our strategic cooperation will allow us to look into film investing and producing of large-scale releases, including sci-fi films, too."
Added Dmitry Rudovskiy, the film's producer: "Nowadays, China's film market is of strategic importance for Art Pictures Studio. This is why we turned to H.G.C. Entertainment as the distribution partner, as we are convinced that this company will launch a unique large scale promotional campaign, taking into consideration the movie’s genre peculiarities and disposing of sufficient resources to distribute it across 10,000 screens."
Attraction is set to open in China and Russia on Jan. 26, 2017.
In 2013, Art Pictures Studio's Stalingrad became the highest-grossing non-U.S. foreign release in China, taking in $11 million with more than 2 million admissions.