BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- "The Eight Hundred," a war epic film, is slated for release on Aug. 21.

Poster of The Eight Hundred

The film depicts Chinese soldiers' defense of a warehouse against the invading Japanese army during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937. It is directed by Guan Hu, whose best-known works include the 2015 film "Mr. Six," or "Lao Pao Er."

"The Eight Hundred" will be the first major Chinese production to hit movie theaters since the COVID-19 outbreak. A trailer of the film was released Tuesday through social media.

Movie theaters are gradually reopening in parts of China deemed to be low-risk areas. Many Chinese films whose scheduled releases were postponed due to COVID-19 are yet to announce their new release dates.

Some industry observers believe that the release of "The Eight Hundred" would help the movie market recover.