Chinese cinemas have confirmed that they are being told to stop showing the international blockbuster ‘Avatar’ in standard format starting as early as Thursday, a move that the media claims is an effort to give domestic films a fair chance at the profits.
‘Avatar’ will retain about one-third of its showings in the popular 3D format while the 2D version is likely to be replaced with the Chinese film, ‘Confucius,’ starring Chow Yun-Fat and Zhou Xun.
Despite being featured in approximately 2,500 theaters across China since its debut on January 4th, patrons are still waiting in line for hours to buy tickets to the international blockbuster, the New York Times reports.
“So many people are dying to see it, including me,” said Cui Weiping, a film critic and a professor at the Beijing Film Academy. “‘Avatar’ is driving people crazy right now. The government makes these decisions whenever it wants to, with no consideration for the market or the desires of the audience.”
Liu Chang, a 25-year-old marketing coordinator, said protecting the domestic film industry would not make Chinese films more popular.
“It is obvious that Chinese movies are not as good as those blockbusters,” she said while waiting for an afternoon showing of ‘Avatar’ in Beijing. “We have to admit this.”
The Chinese government maintains strict control over the film industry, limiting the number of foreign films shown in the country to 20 per year accompanied with profit sharing agreements.
The country has also recently blocked the popular Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website apparently in response to a documentary on the Dalai Lama, ‘The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom.’
The move to scale back ‘Avatar’ showings shouldn’t affect those who wish to see the movie in China; you can currently buy a pirated copy of the movie for a dollar on the street.