The long-awaited new installment of the groundbreaking sci-fi franchise, "The Matrix Resurrections," announced it has finally secured its official China release date for Jan. 14, 2022.
A Chinese poster for "The Matrix Resurrections." [Image courtesy of WarnerMedia in China]
Visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski's "The Matrix Resurrections" reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in their iconic roles, Neo and Trinity. The film will be shown in IMAX 2D format across China to provide the ultimate big-screen experience.
The "Matrix" franchise is regarded as a sci-fi classic in China and enjoys a devoted fanbase. "The Matrix" grossed 17 million yuan when it was released in 1999, and was followed by "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" in 2003, both of which took 43 million yuan each. Though the numbers may seem small, this came at a time when China's cinema industry was still in its nascent stages and relatively limited. What's more, the third installment in the series was the first Hollywood film to have a China release concurrent with major Western markets.
"Are you ready to go back to the Matrix?" asked Reeves, who appeared with Moss in a special video dedicated to Chinese fans posted on the official Chinese social media accounts of Warner Bros. Pictures. The film also stars Jada Pinkett Smith, who's making her own return to the franchise, along with newcomers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Yu, Li Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Christina Ricci.
Before opening in China, the film will be released Dec. 22 in the United States and other international markets, as well as the HBO Max streaming service.
Recently, Chinese fans have been speculating about the release date of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," however, there's still no news on when it may hit Chinese theaters. Incidentally, China's market has been dominated by domestic productions as of late and lacks a steady stream of Hollywood titles. Nevertheless, several foreign films from countries other than the U.S. have announced release plans, including "Oh! My Gran" (2020), the first South Korean film to grace Chinese screens in six years, "Icarus: The Legend of Mietek Kosz," a 2019 Polish film, and "Decision: Liquidation," a 2018 Russian film.
