China is getting ready to play "The Hunger Games." Lionsgate's latest big hit for the young adult set is slated for release in China in the first half of June, the company announced on Saturday.
The China Film Group is teaming up with Talent International to unleash the film nationwide. Chinese audiences will have the chance to watch Katniss duke it out with rival factions of murderous teens in both dubbed and subtitled versions of the film.
Thanks to revenue-sharing guidelines put in place earlier this year, Western distributors can pull in up to a quarter of the receipts from Chinese sales, making "The Hunger Games" one of the first big Hollywood exports to reap the rewards of the new international rule change.
Also read: 'Hunger Games' Consumes International Box Office, Too
Director Gary Ross' big-screen take on author Suzane Collins' dystopic vision of reality TV (and darker currents of American culture) played out to tyrannical extremes has grossed almost $620 million worldwide and $380 million in North America.
"The Hunger Games" follows on the heels of another mega-franchise aimed at the same demographic under the Lionsgate banner: the "Twilight" series.