Along with the Labour Day holiday in May and the Western New Year (and April’s Qingming to a lesser extent), China’s Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) is one of the busiest three-day moviegoing periods on the Chinese release calendar.
But unlike other public holidays which are reserved for domestic new releases, the three-day Dragon Boat Festival has become the dominion of Hollywood blockbusters.
Four out of the last five holidays have been led by imported Hollywood flicks with last year’s Warcraft receiving a coveted release date to coincide with the festival.
This year, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales follows suit with its own day-and-date release on Friday, May 26. Both Pirates and India’s Dangal, still rolling along with incredible word of mouth, should dominate the holiday which runs this year from Sunday, May 28 through Tuesday, May 30.
Films will receive an additional box office boost on Thursday, June 1 from International Children’s Day.
