Too much product placement in Chinese Iron Man 3

The specially tailored version of 'Iron Man 3' made for the Chinese market has drawn mixed responses from fans and film bloggers.

Some have criticised the film for the inclusion of overt product placement and for additional footage added to the film which is superfluous to the plot.

[Related story: Iron Man 3 on course to beat Avengers at the box office]

The film reportedly begins with a question on screen reading: “What does Iron Man rely on to revitalize his energy?”

The answer then arrives 'Gu Li Duo', a brand of milk drink available across China.

A character only in the Chinese version called Dr Wu, played by Wang Xueqi, also appears in the film explicitly drinking a carton of the drink.

One blogger Beijing Ke'er wrote: “The appearance of Yili [the company which makes the Gu Li Duo drink] is really shocking. And I don’t know what that Zoomlion [a brand which appears in a China-specific scene] was – and after an online search I realized it’s a heavy industry enterprise in China… the advertisements are the shining lights of the film!”

There are also lengthy shots of products made by electronics firms Wang and TCL, as well as footage of Tony Stark seen on a TV news report being cheered by Chinese schoolchildren while appearing at landmarks in the capital.

Though the film is not an official Chinese co-production, Marvel Studios agreed to deliver a specially augmented version of the film for the country, with around four extra minutes added.

And whether bloggers and critics agree with the altered version, it's already looking like the film is set for box office gold.

Opening yesterday, it had already taken 13 million yuan (£1.3 million) in tickets for midnight screenings ahead of its opening weekend.

It already looks like it will beat the box office record set by 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon', which made 12 million yaun on its opening day.

The sum should put it on course to beat 'Avengers Assemble's vast worldwide box office haul.