This denial was, apparently, not unexpected, but for an entirely different reason: movies pertaining to the supernatural have been banned in the past by the Chinese government, as official censorship guidelines prohibit movies that “promote cults or superstition” to their audiences.
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According to Ghostbuster director Paul Feig, fans of the upcoming movie will get just that when it releases on blu-ray later this year.
It’s undeniable that China – the world’s no. 2 film market – is key to a movie’s worldwide box office success today.
Sony tried to avoid a similar fate for Ghostbusters by actually excluding the Chinese symbol for “ghost” from the film’s title. That’s why you’ll see subplots in films like The Martian in which the Chinese are specifically depicted as heroes; movie studios want butts in seats.
It’s now been confirmed that the “Ghostbusters” reboot won’t release in China, due to it being deemed not “attractive” enough for Chinese audiences who might not have seen the first two films.
Sony isn’t commenting, but a Hollywood source with knowledge of the situation says the film hasn’t been officially submitted for approval by Chinese regulators. “The original Bill Murray-starring 1984 classic, which never screened theatrically in China, was translated as ‘捉鬼敢死队, ‘ five characters literally meaning ‘Ghost Catcher Dare Die Team, ‘” THR notes.
Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot has been enjoying generally decent/good reviews (you can check out ours here), and looks set for a very respectable opening weekend at the US box office – but THR is reporting on some news that might just put a dampener on the positivity parade.
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Ghostbusters hits theaters this Friday.
