“Kraven the Hunter” received a theatrical release in mainland China that was closely coordinated with its North American and international releases.
It will open in Chinese theaters on December 14, a Saturday. Its international campaign begins at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia on December 11, along with its first commercial flights in Europe. Its release in the United States and Canada begins on Friday, December 12th.
The film is the sixth in Sony’s Spider-Man universe and is a stand-alone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Kraven, a man whose complicated relationship with his gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), leads him to seek revenge, with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the world’s greatest hunter, but also one of the world’s most powerful hunters. He is afraid.
Other main cast includes Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola and Christopher Abbott.
The film is directed by J.C. Chandor, with a story by Richard Wenk, a screenplay by Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, and produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmac, and David Haushalter.
China has been a difficult market for Hollywood films in recent years, as audiences become better served by local titles and as demographics change. But the box office distress in mainland China this year has prompted authorities to be relatively lenient on imported titles – in terms of import volume, release dates and content.
In North America, the film was rated R. China does not have a rating system and all film releases are supposed to be suitable for all audiences. However, some distributors add unofficial content warnings about suitability for young audiences. In other cases, regulators may require reductions.
Another imported film gearing up for a wide release in China is India’s “Maharaja.” A crime thriller with a social message, the film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap. It will open in China on (Saturday) November 29, after being released in India and several international territories in June.