Sony: No decision made yet on ‘Ghostbusters’ in China

Last year, the Gothic horror-romance Crimson Peak went without a Chinese release due to the appearance of creepy, drippy specters throughout the film. The film, which has received generally good reviews, has been hit by a wave of criticism from those who are annoyed at the idea of female Ghostbusters.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Sony blockbuster was denied a Chinese release, despite the distributor’s many attempts to sway censorship regulators. With the Ghostbusters reboot not being released in China its fate is in the hands of western audiences, most of which will have witnessed some of the needless social politics surrounding this movie. But Sony says it hasn’t formally submitted the film to the China board that approves foreign films for screening in the country. [Source]Under China’s censorship laws any films suggesting the existence of the supernatural can be banned from distribution.

Those cultural taboos may cost the film a lucrative release in the Chinese market, the second biggest film market in the world. Exceptions are made for ghost stories based on Chinese mythology or films in which the supernatural is explained by a realistic rationale (eg drug use or dream sequence).

That tweaks slightly the Chinese title of the 1984 original, which translated as Ghost Catcher Dare Die Team. On that end, even box office prognosticators aren’t quite sure what the verdict will be, although they are confident The Secret Life of Pets will stay top dog anyway.

In a nine-page censorship guideline that was released in December, it stated that China prohibits content that “promote cults or superstition”.

The actor also said that misogynist comments against the new all-female Ghostbusters team of actors Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon were a step backwards in the fight for gender equality in the film industry.