Matt Damon’s “The Martian” has been set for a Nov. 25 opening date in China. It should see solid performance in the booming Chinese market as the Chinese space agency plays a key role in the movie, helping to rescue Damon’s astronaut character, Mark Watney.

"The Martians" tells the story of a manned mission to Mars, where Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

In addition to the grand spectacle and high-tech, the film also involves Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology as a key element in rescuing Mark from Mars. In the film, following the destruction of NASA's Iris supply probe, the prospects of getting Mark Watney back alive grew dim. Unbeknown to NASA, CNSA's Taiyangshen ("Apollo") program has a booster with enough range to reach Mars orbit, although secrecy prevented the Americans from knowing its capabilities. CNSA's administrator debated with his aides on whether to give the booster to NASA, at the cost of CNSA's own program. In the end it did, and NASA was allowed to use the booster in the now global mission to bring Watney back alive.

The novel The Martian became a New York Times bestseller, and Twentieth Century Fox quickly optioned the movie rights. The movie earned the second-biggest in October opening with $55 million. Inspired by the movies, NASA is trumpeting its real-life plans to send astronauts to Mars in 2030.