China's annual period for blocking Hollywood films is nearing its end, and a schedule of local screening dates has been released. At least five titles have been added to the lineup and are slated to hit the cinemas beginning August.

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First in the roster of Hollywood offerings to finally penetrate the Chinese market is "Terminator Genisys," which was released internationally on July 1 and will be shown locally on August 23. Sci-fi action-comedy "Pixels," starring Adam Sandler and Peter Dinklage, will open on August 27, more than one month of its global premier. "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" will be released in the mainland on September 8. The well-received family comedy "Minions," with an international screening on June 17, is scheduled to entertain local moviegoers on September 13. Topping the list is Marvel's "Ant-Man," which will hit the box office on September 18.

Fervently referred to as "mid-summer domestic film protection," the blackout period was imposed by China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT). While July has been the initial and unofficial month for this campaign, December 2014 also saw an embargo on foreign blockbusters. During this season, local films enjoy an undivided attention from moviegoers and are expected to churn out soaring revenues. But this was not always the case as "The Crossing 1" by Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo and "Gone with the Bullets" by Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen turned out to be box office underperformers.

Without foreign competition, domestic productions clearly raked in millions. But policy was met with backlash from netizens who invoked their "consumer right" to watch foreign movies simultaneously with the international audience.  In 2012, China Film Critics Society resisted the blockage by challenging the local film industry to make movies with better quality than rely on a measure that forces citizens to make do with restricted choices.

During the Hollywood blackout, local films such as "The Man from Macau" starring Chow Yun-fat, "Dragon Blade" starring Jackie Chan, and the ironically titled "Hollywood Adventures" starring Zhao Wei became blockbuster hits. Top-grossing domestic films also include "Monk Comes Down the Mountain" by Chen Kaige, "Tiny Times 4" by Guo Jinming, and epic fantasy animation "Monster Hunt" by Raman Hui.

TagsChina domestic film protection, China Hollywood blackout, Terminator genisys, Pixels movie, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, Ant-Man, China SARFT, John Woo, The Crossing 1, Gone with the Bullets, Jiang Wen, China Film Critics Society, The Man from Macau, Chow Yun Fat, Dragon Blade, Hollywood Adventures, Zhao Wei, monk comes down the mountain, Tiny Times 4, Monster Hunt