Harry Potter followers in China will be able to catch the latest installment of the schoolboy wizard film series in August, with an IMAX three-dimensional version set to stir fans in four Chinese cities.

Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe (R) and Emma Watson are seen in this file photo. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the latest film in the blockbuster series, will hit Chinese screens on August 11.

The Southern Metropolis Daily cited sources from the Warner Bros. Pictures, distributor of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, as saying the fifth film from the Harry Potter franchise is slated to hit Chinese screens on August 11, with a slight cut of less than 30 seconds to suit Chinese tastes.

Moviegoers in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Dongguan in southern Guangdong province, will get to experience the IMAX 3D version.

A July 13 screening date was suggested in previous reports. However, rumors suggest it was postponed to avoid box office competition with the Michael Bay/Steven Spielberg cooperation Transformers, which shares a close screening time in China.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was screened in Tokyo on Tuesday, ahead of its world premiere later this month in the Japanese capital, according to an earlier Reuters report.

The teenage wizard, played by Daniel Radcliffe who turns 18 next month, battles for recognition as a grown man in the film, and experiences his first on-screen kiss.
 
(CRI.cn June 20, 2007)