Poster of Chinese action-adventure film "The Rescue," which hits big screen in the United States on Dec.18, 2020. (Photo credit: CMC Pictures)
The 100-million-U.S.-dollar film is the largest Chinese film production set at sea so far and the first film to showcase the China Rescue & Salvage (CRS), a lesser-known division of the China Coast Guard.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese action-adventure film "The Rescue" has hit big screen in a limited theatrical release in the United States on Friday.
The film in Mandarin is being released by CMC Pictures with Chinese and English subtitles in selected theaters in Atlanta, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix and a few other major cities across the United States.
Less than 40 percent of all North American theaters are currently open due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported.
Helmed by Dante Lam, Hong Kong's highest grossing director, and starring Eddie Peng, Wang Yanlin and Xin Zhilei, among others, the film chronicles a Chinese rescue team's death-defying mission to save survivors of a fiery offshore catastrophe.
The 100-million-U.S.-dollar film is the largest Chinese film production set at sea so far and the first film to showcase the China Rescue & Salvage (CRS), a lesser-known division of the China Coast Guard. Founded in 1951, the unit is charged with responding to all maritime emergencies in Chinese waters, which range from shipwreck salvage missions to marine firefighting.
After learning about the CRS five years ago, Lam was determined to bring the stories of these unsung heroes to the big screen. Many water scenes were filmed at Mexico's Baja Studios facilities, which was first built in 1996 for James Cameron when he filmed his epic "Titanic," said CMC Pictures in a press release.
"CMC Pictures is proud to release 'The Rescue' in North America where we believe there's an underserved audience for expertly-crafted action movies made by masters of the genre," said Julia Zhu, director of CMC Pictures International Distribution.
CMC Pictures focuses on the global distribution of Chinese movies, with direct theatrical and internet release capabilities in over 103 countries.
"The Rescue" also opened synchronously Friday in Australia, New Zealand and the Chinese mainland. Enditem
