Mystery as China bans Da Vinci Code from the nation's cinema screens
Min Lee
Scotsman, UK
__________
Hong Kong:
China has ordered cinemas to stop showing the controversial blockbuster film The Da Vinci Code from today, media officials said.
Authorities said the withdrawal - an unprecedented move - was to make way for films produced in China, an industry executive reported yesterday.
"This is coming directly from the film bureau," she said, adding that it was the first time the government had pulled a foreign film from cinemas.
She declined to be named because she was not authorised to comment.
The film had been given the widest release yet for a foreign production in China, with 393 prints sent to cinemas, breaking the record of 380 set by King Kong last year, its distributor said earlier.
The official explanation appears to be contradicted by the release of another Hollywood blockbuster, Ice Age - The Meltdown in China today.
However, China does limit film imports to 20 a year in an effort to protect state studios.
Another possible explanation is that officials do not want the film to do well in China.
Having made £7 million there since its release on 19 May, it was on its way to becoming one of the highest-ever earning foreign films in China, the executive said.
The Da Vinci Code has been opposed by Christian groups because it suggests Jesus fathered children who continued his lineage. China's state-backed Catholic church urged followers to boycott the film, but few of China's 1.3 billion people are Christians. Estimates range from 16 million to 47 million.
June 09, 2006
Min Lee
Scotsman, UK
__________
Hong Kong:
China has ordered cinemas to stop showing the controversial blockbuster film The Da Vinci Code from today, media officials said.
Authorities said the withdrawal - an unprecedented move - was to make way for films produced in China, an industry executive reported yesterday.
"This is coming directly from the film bureau," she said, adding that it was the first time the government had pulled a foreign film from cinemas.
She declined to be named because she was not authorised to comment.
The film had been given the widest release yet for a foreign production in China, with 393 prints sent to cinemas, breaking the record of 380 set by King Kong last year, its distributor said earlier.
The official explanation appears to be contradicted by the release of another Hollywood blockbuster, Ice Age - The Meltdown in China today.
However, China does limit film imports to 20 a year in an effort to protect state studios.
Another possible explanation is that officials do not want the film to do well in China.
Having made £7 million there since its release on 19 May, it was on its way to becoming one of the highest-ever earning foreign films in China, the executive said.
The Da Vinci Code has been opposed by Christian groups because it suggests Jesus fathered children who continued his lineage. China's state-backed Catholic church urged followers to boycott the film, but few of China's 1.3 billion people are Christians. Estimates range from 16 million to 47 million.
June 09, 2006
