No Dark Knight Release for China

It seems that Warner Brothers has given up fighting Chinese censors for a theatrical release of The Dark Knight. Instead, WB is going to skip the film’s release altogether. In a statement on Tuesday, the studio disclosed the following:

“Based on a number of pre-release conditions that are being attached to ‘The Dark Knight’ as well as cultural sensitivities to some elements of the film, we have opted to forego a theatrical release of the film in China.”

It’s not surprising that Warner has had trouble getting the film through Chinese censors. The film is after all about an American vigilante who (spoilers?) illegally travels to China to kidnap a Chinese businessman with ties to mob money. Said vigilante does other stuff too (I think a clown is involved?), but I’m fairly certain it’s the above that has China up in arms.

China’s censors only allow 20 foreign films into the country every year, and given the large role Hong Kong plays in The Dark Knight’s plot, I don’t think WB could have ever made them happy. In the end, this seems like a wise move. I’m fairly certain that this decision implies that WB won’t be releasing an official DVD/Bluray of the film either, but somehow I don’t think the Chinese moviegoing public will be denied their Dark Knight fix.