Still images from the new war epic Midwayfeature actor Dennis Quaid as vice-admiral William "Bull" Halsey.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Yu Dong, founder and president of Bona, who also attended the Beijing premiere, recalls that Emmerich talked for two hours to elaborate upon his idea and express his passion for Midway in the French seaside city two years ago.

"I was completely convinced and decided to get on board immediately," says Yu.

This also brought China a bigger presence in Midway, which has some scenes featuring the surviving American pilot, Jimmy Doolittle, protected by locals during Japanese searches and bombing raids in southeastern China after the Tokyo Raid is carried out.

Also known as the Doolittle Raid, the aerial bombardment was an American revenge for the Pearl Harbor attack, and took place on April 18, 1942. However, the raid over the Japanese capital and other places on Honshu forced most of the crew to land in China due to a lack of fuel to return to their aircraft carriers.

For Yu, the new film can also be viewed as a sort of follow-up to Michael Bay's 2001 film Pearl Harbor. Yu says improvement of cinematic technology over the past two decades means that Midway delivers more convulsive visual effects.