‘Warcraft’ Movie To Be Released In China Before The U.S. To Cash In On A Game-Loving Society

U.S. fans anticipating the release of the Warcraft movie will have to avoid online spoilers for two days prior to the U.S. premiere on June 10, thanks to the movie being released early in China.

According to BBC News, the Warcraft movie will premiere in China on June 8, 2016, two days before the U.S. gets to see the movie. So, for fans who have been desperate to get their first glimpse of Warcraft on the big screen, they will have to wait just that little bit longer, avoiding potential spoilers in the meantime.

It is likely game fans of the Warcraft movie will be able to guess the storyline from the trailers already released. However, some fans will go to extremes to avoid not only spoilers, but critics — and fan — reactions to the movie. When the Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie premiered, it was not unheard of for mega fans to temporarily block their friends on Facebook in order to avoid unwanted information on the movie.

Blocking your friends on Facebook can be a bit extreme, so perhaps Warcraft fans who don’t want any spoilers beforehand can spend the two days between premieres reading the Warcraft graphic novel to be released on June 7 as a way to avoid the internet and all the spoilers likely to occur there. The 112-page hardcover graphic novel will retail for $24.99, and is based on a story by Blizzard’s Chris Metzen and written by Paul Cornell.

But why is China lucky enough to get the Warcraft movie two days prior to the U.S.? According to BBC News, the answer is simple: gaming is big in China. Even with its special “toned down” version of the game renamed World of Magic Beasts over there that covers up skeletons and darkens blood to a “less shocking hue.” China Film Insider states that the hope is rabid gamers in China will lap up a movie like Warcraft. After all, gaming is huge in China and CFI states Niko Partners estimates gaming sales are predicted to be worth around $20.4 billion by 2020.

And this is not the first time China has been privy to a blockbuster movie release before the U.S. According to Deadline, Point Break (the remake), Penguins of Madagascar, and Iron Man 3 all debuted in China first.

Also worth noting is that the Warcraft movie release in China will coincide with a minor holiday, according to Variety. The Dragon Boat Holiday will fall on June 7, one day prior to the release of the Warcraft movie and a great incentive for people to get out and see a movie on their time off.

Legendary’s website provides the synopsis and other movie details for Warcraft, via the blurb below.

“Legendary’s Warcraft is a 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment’s globally-renowned universe. Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Duncan Jones, the film is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production. The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan. Jillian Share, Brent O’Connor, Michael Morhaime and Paul Sams serve as executive producers. Rob Pardo, Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rebecca Steel Roven co-produce.”

Are you looking forward to the Warcraft movie? Will you try to avoid the spoilers or people’s opinions on the movie, or are you not bothered by that sort of thing? Let us know by commenting below.

The Warcraft movie will be released in 3D by Universal Pictures on Friday, June 10. For fans of Aussie actor Travis Fimmel, Warcraft has been reported by News.com.au as premiering in Australia on June 16.

[Image via Universal Pictures/Legendary]