A month of screen fun

This month sees the release of eight imported movies, including Life, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Dangal, in mainland theaters.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Five domestic titles will also be released the same day. Most of them are low-budget comedies or coming-of-age romances.

The possibility of them posing a challenge to the Hollywood blockbusters seems remote, says Jiang Yong, a Beijing-based industry watcher.

The following Friday, May 19, will see three imports, including the alien horror movie Life, the dark fantasy drama A Monster Calls and Russian superhero film Guardians hit mainland screens.

Life, seen by some as a modern version of the 1979 classic Alien, is now among the most anticipated films on some Chinese movie-fan websites, such as Mtime.com.

The film starts off with the discovery that life exists on Mars and then takes a bloody, thrilling twist.

But the most anticipated movie is Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which will simultaneously debut in China and North America on May 26, two days ahead of China's Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

"The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has a huge fan base in China. So, it could easily end up earning more than any other movie in May," says Jiang.