Illumination Entertainment’s “Despicable Me 3” has been confirmed as heading for mainland Chinese theaters.
The animated film will be released in the Middle Kingdom on July 7, a week after its release in North America and most major international territories.
Universal Pictures confirmed the China release date and revealed a new poster and trailer for the Chinese market. As a revenue sharing quota import title, the film’s release in China will be handled by a state-owned distributor.
"Despicable Me 2” was released in China in January 2014, and earned $53.0 million.
Also confirmed for release in mainland theaters is the Oscar-nominated Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman-starrer “Lion,” which will hit screens on June 23. In this case, the release is more than six months after its U.S. outing.
Hollywood movies are having a very strong year at the Chinese box office with a mixture of widely anticipated hits such as “The Fate of the Furious” which is now the second biggest movie of all time in China, and surprises such as “Resident Evil:The Final Chapter,” and “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.”
While most Chinese films have wilted, Hollywood titles have helped keep the cumulative Chinese box office on a par with 2016 through the first five months of the year.