Monster Hunt, the highest-grossing film in China’s history, will receive an American release on January 22nd.
The film will be distributed by Filmrise and Asia Releasing in a limited number of theaters in 24 American and Canadian cities. Certain theaters will show the newly-produced English-language version, while others will show the original Mandarin-language version with subtitles. A list of theaters and the versions they’re showing can be found here.
Released in China last July, the live-action/animation hybrid grossed a record-breaking 2.438 billion yuan (around US$371 million using current exchange rates). The U.S. release will be targeted to both Chinese-American and Western audiences; many of the theaters that are screening the Mandarin version are located in communities with significant Chinese populations. “We have carefully edited the English language version to be the equivalent of a PG rating,” said FilmRise CEO Danny Fisher. “We believe North American kids and their parents will embrace the film in the same way as Chinese audiences have.”
