Promotional material for London Has Fallen Photo: CFP

More than 40 films are coming to cinemas across in the mainland this month. Sadly, this large number does not seem to guarantee a high percentage of good quality films. Looking at the list this month, a majority of the films are just lackluster outings with a few sure to make it onto the list of the top 10 worst films of the year.

However, audiences will still have opportunities to see some great films from around the world as the 6th Beijing International Film Awards are set for April 16-23.

Over 500 films will be shown in cinemas in the capital, including classic films from the West such as Alien, Blade Runner, Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Sunset Boulevard, and Eastern classics like Tokyo Story (Japan), The Terrorizers (Taiwan), Three Times (Taiwan) and Police Tactical Unit (Hong Kong).

More recent critically acclaimed films will also be screened in the city, in some cases this will be their only release in China.

This list includes Oscar winning films Spotlight, Son of Saul and Carol, as well as other major films such as Steve Jobs, The Big Short, Brooklyn, Ex Machina, Youth, The Lobster, Sicario, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

As for films not taking part in the festival, there is a mix of both good and bad. 

Western films

Among the more than 40 films getting a national release, only a handful of them are overseas films.

'London Has Fallen'

The sequel to the 2013 worldwide hit Olympus Has Fallen is scheduled to hit Chinese cinemas on Friday.

Audiences should note, however, on Rotten Tomatoes the film's average rating is only a 3.8/10, while 61 percent of audiences liked it.

The critic consensus says "London Has Fallen traps a talented cast - and all who dare to see it - in a mid-1990s basic-cable nightmare of a film loaded with xenophobia and threadbare action-thriller clichés."

Critic Christy Lemire wrote: "London Has Fallen is Donald Trump in film form."

Still want to see it?

'American Ultra'

The film, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, already released in North American in November of last year. It is scheduled to release in the mainland on April 15.

Convenience store employee Mike (Eisenberg) and his girlfriend (Stewart)'s life is suddenly turned upside down as Mike suddenly discovers that he is a well-trained spy whose memory has been erased.

It holds a 5.4/10 on Rotten Tomatoes, a little bit higher than London Has Fallen, but only a small percent of audiences liked it.

'The Jungle Book'

This seems to be the only film worth anticipating this month. Releasing worldwide on April 15, this Walt Disney film brings Rudyard Kipling's famous work to the big screen as a live action adventure. The voice cast features A-listers like Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken.

The film is highly anticipated with 99 percent of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes wanting to see it.

'The Huntsman: Winter's War'

So long as a film makes money, Hollywood filmmakers will make a sequel. Although the previous film Snow White and the Huntsman wasn't that well received, it made enough to warrant a follow-up which will hit cinemas worldwide on April 22.

The new films sees the queen (Charlize Theron) bring back her evil sister (Emily Blunt), and only the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and his lover (Jessica Chastain) can stop them.

Early critic reviews have the film sitting at a 22 percent tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Peter Bradshaw from the Guardian wrote: "It is the follow-up that nobody much wanted to the film that nobody much liked, resulting in something even more visually elaborate and boring, and about which the number of tosses that can be reasonably given is lower than ever."

Already in the cinemas

'Chongqing Hotpot'

The film is a bank heist story that takes place in Chongqing, the city famous for its tasty spicy hotpot. Worth noting, the film, mainly a comedy, sees the stars Chen Kun, Bai Baihe and Qin Hao speaking in the local Chongqing dialect. The films currently holds a 7.5/10 on Chinese media site Douban.

'My Beloved Bodyguard'

This action film's cast and seemingly cool plot made it a highly anticipated movie in China. Starring veteran Hong Kong action hero Sammo Hung  and Andy Lau, the film tells the story of a retired bodyguard who goes up against a Russian gangster to save his granddaughter.

From current movie reviews, the film has not lived up to expectations. It holds a 5.5/10 on Douban. As one critic wrote: "That My Beloved Bodyguard sucks this bad was beyond my expectation."

Romance films

'My New Sassy Girl'

Nearly 15 years ago, a South Korean film My Sassy Girl became a sudden hit across Asian, launching lead actress Gianna Jun and actor Cha Tae-hyun to fame. It told the story of a loser who has a pretty yet a bit "violent" girlfriend. With the role of the girlfriend, Jun became a goddess for both men and women across Asia.

Now a sequel has finally been made. However, while Cha makes a return, the lead female role has been replaced by Chinese singer Song Qian, who has reached a certain level of fame in South Korea.

It releases on April 22.

'Finding Mr. Right 2'

It seems the Chinese movie industry is adopting Hollywood's rules when it comes to sequels.

The first Finding Mr. Right was released in 2013 and starred actress Tang Wei and actor Wu Xiubo. A romance film that doesn't cost that much to make, it ended up setting a domestic box office record for romance films with 520 million yuan ($80 million).

Now more than two years later, the sequel looks to tell a different story with the same actors playing new characters. However, it remains to be seen if it will be able to match the box office of the first film.