Filmmakers in South Korea are speaking out against the early release of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" in their country, after 20th Century Fox Korea announced Friday that the film would premiere in theaters July 10 instead of July 16. This move forward in release date will likely cause shifting of the number of screens that would have been allotted to domestic films released that week.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the change has caused an uproar among South Korean filmmakers and distributors, upset that the foreign "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" would push local movies from the screen. Korea Film Producers Association filed an official complaint over the concern.

"This abrupt change in the release date for such a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster goes against film business ethics," the association said in a statement. "This gives way to not only chaos in the basic order of the film market but also great damage for others. We urge that the film's distributor 20th Century Fox Korea immediately cancels this unconventional release and help lead the way for a healthy film distribution market."

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'" early release will likely affect the box office scores for several films including "The Divine Move," a local action film that opened strategically ahead of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," and "Transformers: Age of Extinction."

"I was shocked to hear of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' early release date, and I and many colleagues are extremely upset," Edward Chang-eon Lee told Yonhap News. "This will affect the distribution channel for a number of films and will also deprive moviegoers of the opportunity to choose from a variety of titles."

As head of Main Title Pictures, Lee is promoting the film "Sabotage," which is currently set to open July 10, the same day as "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."

The 2011 first film in the franchise, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," was Korea's 15th-highest-grossing title of the year, producing $20.46 million.