'Lord of the Ring' third chapter finalizes China re-release date

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the third and final chapter of the classic movie trilogy, is set for re-release in China on May 14, in a newly restored 4K version.

The announcement via Chinese social media platform Weibo came from Warner Bros on Wednesday morning.

This means the movie will be absent from the sharp box office competition involving more than 10 new titles during the five-day May Day holiday starting on May 1.

Some 20 years after its worldwide release, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy returned to Chinese theaters, with the first two chapters starting box office reruns on April 16 and a week later, respectively.

The re-releases of the two films, however, have failed to make a big splash at China's box office or repeat the great phenomenon of two decades ago.

As of Wednesday morning, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" generated a rerun revenue of 55 million yuan (US$8.48 million), and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" 33 million yuan, data from the China Movie Data Information Network shows.