- [Rick] In this town, it
can all change like that.
(dramatic music)
- [Neha] In a decision that
will undoubtedly shake up
Quentin Tarantino's box office hopes,
China has decided to cancel their release
of "Once Upon A Time In
Hollywood" indefinitely.
The critically acclaimed movie
starring Leonardo DiCaprio
and Brad Pitt had been
approved for release in China
on October 25th, but they
seemed to have abruptly
reversed that decision.
The change-up comes as a
blow to both Sony Pictures
and the film's Chinese financier,
Beijing-based Bona Film Group.
The film would've been
Tarantino's first proper release
in China and the country's
enormous market was expected
to push the title's
worldwide box office total
past the 400 million dollar mark.
No official explanation
for the cancellation
has been offered by Beijing regulators,
but rumors are swirling that Tarantino's
somewhat controversial
portrayal of martial arts
hero Bruce Lee, the only
character of Chinese descent
in the movie, may have
played a part in the decision
to cancel the film.
Friends and family of
the late Lee have blasted
the director for the
depiction, saying the real life
action star didn't behave as
he's portrayed in the film.
In fact, sources close to
Bona and China's film bureau
say Bruce Lee's daughter,
Shannon Lee, made a direct appeal
to China's National Film Administration
asking that it demand changes
to her father's portrayal.
The only other Tarantino
title that's come close
to a theatrical rollout in China
was 2012's "Django Unchained".
That film also initially
received permission to screen,
but was oddly ordered
to be pull from cinemas
across the country minutes
into its opening night.
Again, no official explanation
for the sudden change
was ever provided, but
sources said at the time
that a senior communist party
official had seen the film
on opening night, and took
issue with its graphic violence.
For more updates to the
story, head to THR.com.
For the Hollywood Reporter
News, I'm Neha Joy.
