Quentin Tarantino’s 9th and most probably his one of the most controversial films made, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood released in India on Independence Day this year. Opening to raving reviews, the movie didn’t do as well as expected at the Indian box office. It might be because of Tarantino’s abstract storytelling, might be because it clashed with two big movies in Akshay Kumar’s Mission Mangal and John Abraham’s Batla House.
It’s just a few days to go for the movie to release in China and it’s already amidst controversies. It all started when the movie released worldwide and we saw Mike Moh reprising the character of the legendary martial artist from China, Bruce Lee. The reports stated that people in China have disliked Tarantino’s portrayal of Bruce Lee in the film.
A source close to The Hollywood Reporter reported, “The auteur is taking a take-it-or-leave-it stance in the wake of Chinese regulators pulling the film from the schedule a week before its Oct. 25 release in the country.” It was recently reported that the release of one of the most loved films, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, had been put on hold indefinitely. THR also reported that “No explanation was given to Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio behind the film, as to why. Sony declined to comment.”
All of this started when Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, approached China’s National Film Administration and filed a complaint against Tarantino. She claimed that the film tarnishes the image of her father and shouldn’t be released in China. Now, the situation is that Tarantino is staying by his ruled and isn’t ready to edit a single second from his film. Revolving around Manson Family murders of 1969, Tarantino helmed the film keeping all his trademarked elements in the film including chaotic violence. The Chinese Government has declined to give any explanation to Tarantino about the same. Hence, for now, the release of the film seems next to impossible in China.
