Local celebrities add star power to Hollywood films with their voices

Singer Zhang Wei, who did the voice-over in the Mandarin version of Despicable Me 3, promotes the movie at a Beijing event.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Singer and TV host Zhang Wei, dressed in a purple jumpsuit, tackles the evil Gru and a Minion - played by two performers-in a downtown Beijing theater.

In his colorful garb, Zhang, who does the voice-over in the Mandarin version of Despicable Me 3, is reliving a scene from the franchise's newest film.

Zhang plays Balthazar Bratt, who was once a popular child star but grows up to be a super villain.

Bratt's costume in the movie is what Zhang wore at the Beijing event on June 30, as Hollywood uses Chinese star power again to boost a movie's popularity in the country.

One of the world's most commercially successful animated movie franchises, Despicable Me is charming with its Minions, a group of cute yellow creatures wearing blue overalls and goggles.

Despicable Me 3, the fourth movie of the franchise, which includes a spin-off movie Minions, topped North America's box-office charts over the weekend with $75 million in three days.

It will open across the Chinese mainland on Friday.

In the movie, Gru reunites with his twin Dru and they team up to fight Bratt, who steals a giant diamond to terrorize Hollywood.

"Bratt is not a typical villain," says Zhang, speaking about his role at the event.