Chinese moviegoers are eagerly anticipating the opening of James Cameron's science-fiction epic "Avatar" on January 4.

Chinese cinemas will show the film in standard 35-mm format and new 2-D and 3-D formats along with a limited number of 12 IMAX 3-D screens nationwide.

Beijingers will have the chance to watch the first-ever 3-D in IMAX format at Wanda International Cineplex in the capital's Shijingshan district and at the UME Huaxing International Cinema in Haidian district.

Despite the favorable film market warmed up by a bevy of competing domestic films for the Chinese New Year, many new movies have adjusted their screening dates to avoid clashing with "Avatar." The foreign film "Sherlock Holmes" decided to give way to "Avatar" and will not be open in China until the second half of January.

In some local cinemas, "Avatar" has preempted Zhang Yimou's "A Simple Noodle Story" and the all-star film "Bodyguards and Assassins" to occupy the primetime slot, according to a report in the Yangtze Evening News.

The full-length feature film was screened in the United States on December 18. It dominated box offices worldwide for a second weekend until December 27.

"Avatar" tells the story of a paraplegic marine dispatched on a unique mission to the moon Pandora. He is torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home. It is Cameron's first heavyweight commercial project in 12 years since his 1997 flick "Titanic," which won a record 11 Oscars and grossed more than US$1.8 billion worldwide.