"James Cameron’s
Avatar 2 had the bad luck of releasing in China, the world’s second-biggest film market, just as a devastating wave of COVID-19 infection was engulfing the country. Now, it’s getting a little good luck.
Beijing’s film regulators on Tuesday granted the Disney tentpole a rare release extension to run on Chinese screens for an additional 30 days, two sources in Beijing with knowledge of the decision tell
The Hollywood Reporter.
China’s film import system grants foreign films permission to screen in the country for 30-day blocks.
Avatar 2 launched in China day-and-date with North America on Dec. 16, so its original release was set to expire on Jan. 15. The film has earned just shy of $200 million in the country, Hollywood’s best local performance of the pandemic era, but much less than was originally forecast, due to the ongoing COVID outbreak."
"Film figures in Beijing contacted by
THR on Tuesday said they were shocked by the Film Bureau’s late call to give
Avatar 2 additional time. While Hollywood films occasionally score release extensions, Beijing usually blocks all foreign films from screening during China’s important national holidays, giving the domestic industry free rein at the box office. Hollywood has long protested such release “black-outs” as anti-competitive and contrary to China’s World Trade Organization obligations — always to no avail.
“It’s a weird decision,” said one exhibition executive when asked how much screen share
Avatar 2 might be expected to hold during the holiday. “We don’t know,” they added."
The highly unusual move means James Cameron's blockbuster, which has already earned nearly $200 million in China, will continue screening during the country's most lucrative release window of the year.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
