Annihilation is eyeing an April release in China. Alex Garland’s acclaimed, mind-warping sci-fi thriller hit domestic theaters for the first time on Feb. 23. And many international audiences, including Europe, Australia, and much of southeast Asia, can already experience the mystery of “the Shimmer” at home on Netflix. But audiences in China have yet to see Annihilation in theaters or via streaming services.

Between its lack of an international theatrical release and the stiffest of competition in Black Panther, Annihilation appears destined to fall short of commercial viability. But China is still quite a large moviegoing market, which gives the film a shot at adding a decent total to the $30 million it’s made in America. Fans in China still have to wait a few weeks to get their first look at Annihilation on the big screen, but at least the release timeline is known now.

Deadline reported Annihilation’s planned April release. China was the only international market left that could distribute the film with Netflix owning the rights elsewhere, so co-producer Skydance teamed up with Vision Film Entertainment to make the Chinese release happen. Ricky Qi of Vision Film described Annihilation as a “sci-fi masterpiece” and an “amazing cinematic vision” in a statement.

Releasing in China should give Annihilation the boost it needs to power past its $40 million production budget at the box office. It opened fourth in its opening weekend domestically, with just $11 million - well behind Black Panther’s $111 million that weekend, but also losing to Game Night ($17 million) and Peter Rabbit ($12 million). However, Annihilation averaged more per theater, opening at only 2,012 locations compared to 3,000-plus for the others.

Many of those overseas who streamed Annihilation on Netflix may be jealous of moviegoers in the U.S. and China. Garland created a visual wonder featuring a uniquely bizarre-looking world, and intended for it to be seen on the big screen in the first place. Not to mention, it tells one of the most thought-provoking sci-fi stories in recent memory, with a distinctive timeline and memorable characters to boot. Audiences in China ultimately get to see Annihilation the way it’s meant to be seen.

Although a movie of its kind was probably never going to be a huge commercial success, Annihilation at least had potential to make well over $100 million if released in theaters worldwide. Paramount clearly didn’t like its chances with international audiences, but the Netflix release deprived theatergoers in streaming countries from experiencing the movie the way Garland wanted. Annihilation is often spectacular to watch, and even the biggest TV doesn’t necessarily do it justice. Though cerebral thrillers like Annihilation don’t typically draw big audiences in China, fans in the country who do see it will be able to attest to its visual splendor.

Next: Annihilation: How The Movie Completely Differs From The Book

Source: Deadline

  • Annihilation Release Date: 2018-02-23