The Russian fantasy film Avanpost (The Blackout) starring Pyotr Fyodorov and Aleksey Chadov will be released in China on the largest national VOD-service iQIYI. More than 500 million users visit the service each month, including more than 50 million paying subscribers. The Russian film’s release on the platform was announced at the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, which kicked off in Moscow on June 8.
Central Partnership (part of Gazprom-Media Holding), which handles the international rights for Avanpost, signed the corresponding agreement with a representative of the world’s largest distribution market.
iQIYI was established by the Chinese Internet giant Baidu. Among its other functions, the platform shows the content of Netflix Originals online in China. The service itself is often called the Chinese counterpart of Netflix. In addition to licensed content, it boasts more than 80 popular original projects of its own production.
Thus, the Russian post-apocalyptic thriller will be presented in countries with the biggest moviegoing populations. It was announced earlier that Avanpost will also be released in the United States (its distributor there is Shout Factory) and, on June 12, in Japan (distributor - New Select), where it will be among the first cinema offerings after quarantine restrictions are lifted. As of today, the rights to Avanpost have been sold in more than 90 countries, including South Korea, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the countries of Scandinavia and the former Yugoslavia, Poland, Turkey and Brazil.