IMAX Corporation has announced that both The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man will be released in its threates in China on August 27.

Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man will be released on 74 screens in the IMAX 3D format across China. The film will also be released in 2D and other 3D formats.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros’ The Dark Knight Rises, which was filmed using IMAX cameras but not in 3D, will be released in the IMAX format on 78 screens.

It’s understood that the US studios were attempting to avoid a clash between two of the summer’s biggest blockbusters in one of the world’s largest box office markets. However, release schedules are determined by Chinese authorities and foreign distributors have little influence.

Around one month ago, it appeared that The Dark Knight Rises would be pushed back to September to avoid a clash with The Amazing Spider-Man, which has had its release date confirmed for some time. But the release calendar in September is already extremely crowded with both local and imported releases.

September is also a politically sensitive period during which the Chinese government hands over power to the next generation of leaders.

The release of US blockbusters was placed on hold during July and early August in order to protect local releases such as Huayi Brothers’ Painted Skin 2, Gordon Chan’s The Four and Chen Kaige’s social drama Caught In The Web.

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