Will foreign films "conquer" China this month?

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If last December's Japanese anime "Your Name," word-of-mouth flick "Hacksaw Ridge" and Oscar-favored "Sully," are indicators of this year's box office performance, Chinese moviegoers should have high expectations for this December.

That's when a total of 12 foreign films from nine countries will be shown in Chinese movie theaters.

'Loving Vincent' most expected among Chinese moviegoers

On December 1, six foreign films hit the big screens: "Fireworks: Should We See It From the Side or the Bottom", "Darkest Hour", "Viking", "Vier gegen die Bank", "Aftermath" and "Kill Switch".

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Adapted from prominent director Shunji Iwai’s 1993 live-action TV drama of the same name, "Fireworks" hopes to follow in the footsteps of Iwai's "Your Name" anime, which saw box office success last year.

On December 8, six more films including "Loving Vincent," "Only the Brave," "Paddington 2," "Raid Dingue" and "47 Meters Down" opened in Chinese theaters. "Loving Vincent," one of the most anticipated films among moviegoers, is a 2017 biographical animated drama film about the life of painter Vincent van Gogh. The film was also marked as one of "10 Animators to Watch in 2017" by Variety magazine.

Family-friendly Christmas film "Santa and Cie," or Christmas and Co., will be shown on December 15.

Which ones are the stronger contenders?

December traditionally signals the beginning of the New Year movie season, with big-budget domestic films gaining momentum. Foreign blockbusters usually choose November as their battleground. However, things started to change last year.

In light of China's booming film market, the increasing number of foreign films are stepping in to grab a share of the season before the Spring Festival holiday period, where domestic productions dominate moviegoers attention.

This year, powerhouse domestic films are all crammed in the latter half of December, including renowned director Feng Xiaogang's "Youth," Chen Kaige's fantasy film "Legend of the Demon Cat," action films "Bleeding Steel" featuring Jackie Chan and "The Thousand Faces of Dunjia."

Besides those mega hits, some low-budget films are dark horse potentials, including the crime thriller "The Liquidator," an adaptation of a popular Japanese novel "Namiya" and the star-studded comedy "Yao Lingling."

On the foreign side, 12 foreign films are competing in the first half of the month and six of them opened on the same day on December 1. The strongest contender is expected to be British comedy "Paddington 2."

While foreign films seem to be bearing down menacingly, the results are not that satisfying. The six films from six different countries raked in only 34 million yuan, or 5 million US dollars, in total on their opening day, compared to Disney's animated film "Coco," which is entering its second week and took in more than 51 million yuan on the same day, according to box office provider Maoyan.

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"Six films opening on the same day is a rare scene…Though the genres of the films are diversified and from different countries, the number of screens the market can provide is limited. Many moviegoers even barely heard of those films…It's difficult for the films to get a big share of the market," said Yu Chao, vice general manager of the Capital Cinema.

This opinion was echoed by Tang Le, manager of film row issuance at Huayi Brothers. "The number of films is too big. Besides, the market is not dominated by imported films… Audiences are certainly more familiar with Chinese actors. For example, the box office of 'Kill Me Please' featuring comedian Wang Xun is apparently better than those low-budget imported films."

Nonetheless, industry insiders warned that the large scale of foreign films jumping in December could pose a threat to the already crowded market, putting domestic films under pressure, which, in the positive aspect, could inspire Chinese filmmakers to produce better films to survive the competition.