China bans Ghostbusters from hitting theaters.
China has a history to ban movies involving ghosts because of a weird censorship guideline, but according to reports, the decision to ban Ghostbusters is for a completely different reason.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the second largest film market in the world has denied the release of Ghostbusters reboot.
China’s official censorship guidelines technically prohibit movies that “promote cults or superstition” — a holdover from the Communist Party’s secular ideology — and the country’s regulators occasionally have been known to use this obscure provision as rationale for banning films that feature ghosts or supernatural beings in a semi-realistic way.
According to sources close to The Hollywood Reporter and China censors, “Most of the Chinese audience didn’t see the first and second movies, so they don’t think there’s much market for it here,” the source told reporters.
The new Ghostbusters stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones in roles similar to the paranormal investigators previously played by the original cast in the ’80s films. Many members of the original cast members make cameos in the reboot, including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts.
This will definitely have an impact on the release of Ghostbusters as the Chinese film market brings in millions upon millions of dollars to a theatrical release. The biggest movies this year in China include Disney’s Zootopia at $235.5 million and Marvel/Disney’s Captain America: Civil War with $190.4 million.
Sony’s Ghostbusters had a net production budget of $144 with analysts suggesting it will only bring in between $38 to $50 million.
Via THR
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