The March 25 release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice just got a lot bigger as it was announced that the film will be released in China the same day as most of the world. (Sorry Deadpool, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight have won this round).

The addition of China will bring the number of countries releasing the film that day alone to 20. Having the most populous country in the world on that list can bode very well for opening weekend box office, which is what makes a movie live or die in the Hollywood sense.

With the already polarizing opinions about this film running rampant in the U.S., adding another billion people to that conversation will only make the buzz for the movie even greater (because it needs it, of course.)

According to Variety, releasing the movie “day-and-date” will help reduce the effects of piracy. Why buy a bootleg version in a marketplace when you can pay the same amount for a movie ticket and see the final product? It also helps “maximize the effect of marketing campaigns.” If I am giving millions of dollars to put Superman on a Dr. Pepper can, I know I would want that soda to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot, and is directed by Zack Snyder.

So what do you think? Will this release date news help Batman v Superman‘s box office prospects? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

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HT: Variety

IMAGE: Warner Brothers