South Korean movie set for China market test

The Admiral: Roaring Currents, a South Korean war epic that's likely to hit Chinese theaters on Dec 12, is an ambitious project aimed at making South Korean movies more appealing to Chinese moviegoers following a decade of slump in performance.

Set in then-unified Korea of 1597, the movie tells the story of a naval officer from the peninsula and his victory over an invading Japanese fleet of vessels. It became South Korea's biggest movie ever after its release in that country earlier this year.

The movie was originally meant to premiere in China on Nov 28, but the date was pushed further into the festival season that's considered a golden period for ticket sales, trade analysts say.