This article originally appeared on our sister website, That's Shanghai.
By Sarah Forman and Ruth Ilott
Here are all the major international movies to catch in Chinese theaters this March.*
Now playing: Green Book
Image via Universal Studios/IMDB
An Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) loses his job and finds work as the driver and hired strong-arm for African-American pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), as he embarks on his tour of the Deep South. With Green Book in hand, a ’60s guide used by African-American motorists, the two learn to manage their own expectations of each other and of the world around them as they attempt to navigate the racially charged climate of the 1960s. As they travel from state to state, the duo realize they have more to learn from each other than they initially thought in a timely Best Picture-winning narrative from another decade that perhaps isn’t as distant as we’d like to think it is.
Now playing: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Image via DreamWorks Animation/IMDB
In the final installment of the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), the chief and ruler of Berk, has created a vibrant, dragon-friendly community alongside his dear friend Astrid (America Ferrera). But the sudden appearance of a female Light Fury dragon coincides with that of the notorious and ruthless hunter Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham), and Hiccup must hatch a plan to fly Berk’s dragons across the sea to safety. The protagonists end up on an epic journey to a hidden world that was thought to be a myth, revealing the true destinies of Hiccup and his winged counterpart, as dragon and rider fight together to protect everything they have grown to love and treasure.
March 7: Natsume’s Book of Friends: Tied to the Temporal World
Image via Aniplus/IMDB
Based on the popular manga and anime TV series Natsume’s Book of Friends, this charming film is a continuation of Takashi Natsume’s mission to return the names of countless youkai, or spirits, from the magical notebook they were enslaved in by his late grandmother Reiko. With the help of Nyanko-sensei, a spirit taking the form of a lucky cat, Tied to the Temporal World sees Takashi and Nyanko-sensei face another youkai, who travels though shadows and walls. After a magical accident occurs that causes Nyanko-sensei to turn into three smaller versions of himself, Takeshi and his friends (both human and youkai) must venture on a journey to find a cure.
March 22: Bohemian Rhapsody
A biographical film about Freddie Mercury starring an Oscar-winning performance by Rami Malek, this movie about the legendary lead singer of the British rock band Queen follows his life from when he joins the band in 1970 to their memorable 1985 Live Aid performance at the former Wembley Stadium. Alongside Queen’s rise to fame and their increasing success, Freddie’s personal relationships and private life are explored in depth in this emotional biopic of the iconic singer.
March 22: Prooi (Prey)
Image via Shooting Star Film Company/IMDB
In this grisly Dutch thriller, Lizzy (Abbey Hoes), a zoo veterinarian discovers the murder of a nearby peasant family just outside Amsterdam. As police attempt to figure out who the perpetrator is, Lizzy develops her own understanding of the crime, utilizing her knowledge and training to conclude that only a lion could be responsible. In the wake of a second massacre, she soon gets caught up in a bone-chilling adventure as she finds herself leading a city-wide hunt with an English lion tamer, Jack (Mark Frost), for the monstrous beast that is terrorizing the city of Amsterdam.
March 22: Campeones (Champions)
Image via Peliculas Pendleton/IMDB
In this warm-hearted Spanish comedy-drama, the arrogant, former second-trainer of a professional Spanish national league basketball team Marco (Javier Gutiérrez) is sentenced to 90 days of community service after initiating a car accident whilst drunk. He is reluctantly assigned to work as a trainer for a basketball team called ‘Los Amigos’ (The Friends), formed by disabled players. Despite the frustrations of Marco’s failing marriage with his wife Sonia (Athenea Mata) and the difficulties of training a team that has been accepted to play in the Paralympic national league’s competition, the optimistic nature of the players makes Marco question his relationships with the people closest to him and himself as a person.
March 29: Dumbo
Tim Burton brings the 1941 animated film of the same name to life in a wondrous live-action movie with a Burton-esque touch. Struggling circus ringmaster and owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) hires the one-armed war veteran and former circus star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) to care for the young, misfit elephant Dumbo with enormous ears. When Holt’s children discover that Dumbo can use his ears to fly, the charismatic entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Micheal Keaton) recruits Dumbo to star at his newest and grandest venture, Dreamland. Dumbo’s fame soars to new heights along with the spellbinding French trapeze artist Colette Marchant (Eva Green). Success however will come at a price as Dumbo and his friends will soon discover the dark secrets beneath the shiny veneer of Dreamland.
* Release dates subject to change.
[Cover image via Universal Studios/IMDB]
See more Recent Movie Releases in China
This article was originally published by our sister magazine That's Shanghai. For more articles like this, visit the That's Shanghai website, or follow the That's Shanghai WeChat account (ID: Thats_Shanghai).
