Chinese government officials have denied reports that the State is in any way responsible for pulling Avatar out of hundreds of theaters showing the 2D version of James Cameron's sci-fi epic starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver. A deputy director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has asserted that the film was being dropped by the exhibitors themselves because their theaters were mostly empty. Giving at least some credence to the official's remarks, Clifford Coonan reports in the Irish Times that lines could be seen outside the Shenzhen theater showing Avatar in 3D, but not at the 2D screenings.
Avatar has earned approximately $75 million in its first two weeks in China, becoming that country's biggest box-office hit to date. (I'm not sure whether or not that translates as the largest number of tickets sold ever.) On Friday, Jan. 22, it'll be replaced by a state-sponsored biopic of Confucius, directed by Hu Mei and starring Chow Yun-fat.
Numerous reports (including one on this site) stated that concerned members of the Chinese government had imposed a partial ban on Avatar for fear that it might cause social unrest. Since Cameron's film deals with people being forced out of their territory, millions of Chinese could relate to the Na'vi's plight, as ruthless developers, abetted by corrupt government officials, have the nasty habit of grabbing other people's lands.
Some reports also claimed that China had only a few 3D movie houses, which would make it "safe" for Avatar to be screened at those. Coonan counters that argument by stating that out of China's 4,700 screens, about 800 of those are 3D. And it's at these that nearly two-thirds of the film's box-office has been generated.
Financial reasons unrelated to Avatar's 2D performance may have been a consideration as well. Coonan adds in his piece that China often "will clear the screens of foreign fare in the run-up to holidays … to boost local movies." The Chinese New Year takes place next month.
Now, it's unclear whether that truly applies in the case of Avatar, which was supposed to run until late Feb. After all, it's hardly as if the Chinese New Year will be creeping in unannounced. Unless the Confucius biopic became available sooner than expected, there would have been no reason for Chinese officials to book Avatar well into February.
Other sources: Times of India, Hollywood.com
Photo: Avatar (Mark Fellman / 20th Century Fox)