China to release Soviet superhero film under import quota

China is set to release Russian Cold War film The Guardians (Zashchitniki) next year under its strict import quota.

An agreement has been reached between Chinese distributor Turbo Films, Russian production company Enjoy Movies and sales agent Planeta Inform on a revenue-sharing basis, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Guardians will occupy one of China’s only 34 annual import quota spots, which are generally dominated by Hollywood movies. Just one other Russian film, Stalingrad (2013, dir. Fedor Bondarchuk), has been released in China under the import quota in recent years. The Second World War action film, distributed by HuaXia, found its largest foreign market in China, grossing US$11.5 million in the country.

The Guardians is a Russian neo-noir superhero film set in an alternate history at the height of the Cold War and focuses on a group of Soviet superheroes defending their nation. It is directed by Armenian filmmaker Sarik Andreasyan.

Currently in production, The Guardians is due to be released in China in the first quarter of 2017.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter