Promotional material for Knockout Photo: Courtesy of iQIYI

Promotional material for Knockout Photo: Courtesy of iQIYI

With the Chinese mainland's cinemas still shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese director Roy Chow's latest sports film Knockout, starring Han Geng, Wu Junmei and Cai Shuling, will release directly on streaming site iQIYI on Monday.

The movie follows retired boxing king Zhou Shi as he tries to reenter the sport to inspire his daughter, who is battling leukaemia. According to the director, Han, who plays Zhou, undertook nearly sixmonths of professional boxing training for the film, which aims to create an authentic sports atmosphere as it tells its story.

Following the release on February 1 of Donnie Yen's Enter the Fat Dragon, the direct streaming release is the latest example of a new trend that is reshaping the global entertainment industry during the pandemic.  Streaming giant iQIYI has said it wants to continue focusing on such releases, in the hopes of streaming all new films online.