Foreign films are crowding into Hangzhou cinemas this month to cash in on the increasingly lucrative China market. At least 14 will be screened, five from the United States and six from Europe. Xu Wei reports.

Scenes from the film "Percy Jackson and the Olympians"

There's plenty to see on the big screen in Hangzhou, and 14 films from seven countries are being released this month. They come from the United States, Russia, South Korea, Japan, France, Spain and Denmark.

March used to be a low time at the movies, falling at the end of the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, but this year foreign companies are crowding in, vying early for market share.

Five of the 14 are American productions, including fantasy adventures "Alice in Wonderland" and "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."

The 3D "Alice in Wonderland" starring Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway will be screened on March 26. "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" starring Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan opens on Sunday. It weaves a tale of Greek mythology.

Opening today is the documentary "More Than A Game," about the rise of NBA star LeBron James.

The other two American films are action thrillers "Direct Contact" opening next Friday and "Gamer" opening on March 30.

Asian films screening this month are South Korean spy thriller "7th Grade Civil Servant," an Asian counterpart to "Mr and Mrs Smith," and two Japanese films "K-20: Legend of the Mask" and "Dance, Subaru!"

"7th Grade Civil Servant" which opened last Friday was a hit in South Korea, drawing more than 2.5 million viewers in 19 days to the tale of a married couple, both spies, who keep their identities secret from each other. There's humor, romance and kung fu.

Starring Takeshi Kaneshivo, the superhero movie "K-20: Legend of the Mask" opening next Tuesday tells the story of an innocent acrobat who is mistaken for the masked villain known as K-20. To clear his name the acrobat must find the real masked marauder.

The anime-adapted film "Dance, Subaru!" is about the development of a young ballet dancer. It opens on March 23.

European films aren't seen too often, but this month six European movies are on offer. They include Spanish horror films "Fermat's Room" and "The Orphanage," a Danish film "The Candidate," a Russian adventure movie "Back in Time," and two French productions, "Don't Look Back" and "Largo Winch."

"Back in Time" is about four post-1990s guys who go back to World War II in 1942. The film is so popular that a sequel will soon be released.

"Don't Look Back," which stars Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci, is a French suspense film, combining romance and intrigue. Director Marina de Van received two Cesar Award nominations during her career.

Weng Li, a spokesman for China Film Group Corp, attributes the rush of foreign films this month to the increased competitiveness of Chinese domestic films. The martial arts film "14 Blades" took about 140 million yuan (US$20.5 million) while the small-budgeted cartoon "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf 2" grossed about 128 million yuan around the country.

"Many of these foreign movies were to be shown during the prime New Year season earlier this year, but the robust performances of Chinese New Year films and 'Avatar' changed their plan," Weng says. "Another reason is the rapid growth of Chinese film market and greater sophistication of the audience."