Chinese film superhero on cards

The Shanghai Film Group Corp is in talks with Marvel Entertainment on a new Chinese superhero film.

The film will revolve around the heroic adventures of a Chinese terra-cotta warrior, Ren Zhonglun, president of the group, said on Sunday. No other details were released.

Marvel Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Co, has produced a lot of popular Hollywood blockbuster films based on iconic comic books such as the "Iron Man" and "Spider-Man" franchise.

The last installment of "Iron Man" — "Iron Man 3" was one of the top-grossing Hollywood movies in 2013, earning around US$1.6 billion worldwide and 750 million yuan (US$123 million) in China.

When the film was screened in China, it had a segment with Chinese setting and characters played by popular actors Wang Xueqi and Fan Bingbing.

The Shanghai Film Group Corp is also trying to team up with Pinewood Studios, a major British film studio, to turn the Shanghai Chedun Film Park into a more developed and international film shooting base.

Xu Ziyan, a local movie buff, said international film cooperation will be a common thing in the near future as the film market and industry in China is growing rapidly.

"China has a lot of legends and stories that offer great scope for filmmakers, while advanced foreign technology can give domestic film industry a new impetus and inspiration," Xu said.

Domestic box-office receipts hit 21.8 billion yuan in 2013, a 34.6-percent increase from the previous year.

China's box office is now the second-largest in the world, second only to that of the United States, which earned an estimated US$10.9 billion in 2013.