Christopher Nolan’s film arrives at two and a half hours; To prevent virus transmission in theaters, China said that all films should last two hours or less.
As if there weren’t enough problems complicating theatrical releases, China has announced a new barrier. While it allows theaters to reopen starting July 20, that permission comes with a caveat: To limit the time the public spends in auditoriums, all titles must last two hours or less.
Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet”, currently slated for release on August 12, hits 150 minutes according to reports from the Korean ratings committee this week, a full half hour above the limit.
Although “Tenet” does not have a release date in China (central authorities make that decision), Nolan’s last three films garnered between 8 and 18 percent of his world totals in the country. “Interstellar” was the best interpreter; raised $ 122 million of its worldwide collection of $ 668 million.
China has not set an end date for its runtime rule. Warner Bros, which has less than four weeks to launch “Tenet” in most territories, did not respond to questions about whether China’s ruling could affect the release of the film.
It’s not uncommon for US movies released in China to be shortened by censors, but it’s hard to imagine Nolan quickly cutting “Tenet” to comply with the ruling.
Most of China’s theaters will reopen, though not in and around Beijing. First there are the reissues of recent local and international hits; The deadline reported that “Dolittle” (Universal) and “Bloodshot” (Sony) will be out on July 24, with “1917” (Universal) expected shortly thereafter. (“Dolittle” and “Bloodshot” are 101 and 109 minutes respectively; “1917” is just below the two-hour cable, at 119 minutes.)
“Mulan”
Disney
Disney’s 115-minute “Mulan” is expected to be a huge hit in China. It currently has a worldwide release date of August 21, but again China has not confirmed this.
Trump administration officials have criticized American studies for self-censorship and allowing China to influence content decisions. In a speech on Thursday, Attorney General William Barr said that “kneeling” (a phrase many consider offensive) to China could violate US lobbying laws. This comes among concerns that rising tensions between the two countries could lead to retaliation on both sides, which could include film distribution in the world’s second-largest market.
Meanwhile, add runtime restrictions to the list of concerns for American theaters and distributors. What if some local American authorities decide to do the same? Some of the biggest theatrical hits are two hours or more; Add publicity and previews, and there’s not a single show schedule that records in less than 120 minutes.
Theaters and studios are already burdened with an unprecedented variety of problems. It seems that more than one situation affecting China has just added more.
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