The Crawley family is set to take a tour through China.
Downton Abbey, the film centering on the aristocratic British family, has been scheduled for release in Chinese theaters on December 13.
The period drama continues the story of the Crawleys, and depicts a visit to their English country estate by the king and queen of England.
The film is directed by Michael Engler and written by Julian Fellowes, who also created and wrote the hit television series by the same name.
The series ran for six seasons on ITV and PBS. It became a huge success in China, with DVDs and internet showings with subtitles now required viewing. Audiences in the Communist country are particularly drawn to the depictions of the British upper class.
A report in the UK’s Daily Express noted that there’s a “voracious appetite for British culture” in China because it is seen as a symbol of wealth and success.
“The nation is developing so quickly that the wealthy middle classes that numbered about a million a decade ago have now risen to 400 million and they are all looking for badges of their new-found wealth and status,” businessman Richard Craig, who trades in China, told the publication.
Chinese fans will likely be thrilled with the film since it stars most of the original cast, including Maggie Smith, known to viewers as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Other original cast members include Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham), Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley), Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith Crawley), Elizabeth McGovern (Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham), Allen Leech (Tom Branson), Matthew Goode (Henry Talbot), Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates), Brendan Coyle (Mr. Bates), Robert James-Collier (Mr. Barrow), Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore), Sophie McShera (Daisy Mason), Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes), Raquel Cassidy (Miss Baxter) and Michael C. Fox (Andy).
The movie opened in North America in September and has raked in $95 million domestically. It’s been just as popular abroad, with the film earning a worldwide total of $179 million.
As previously reported, Downton Abbey became Focus Features’ highest-grossing title of all time in the U.S. last month, surpassing three-time Oscar winner Brokeback Mountain.