'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' 3D China Release Pushed to 2017

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to Chinese theaters in a 3D rerelease of Terminator 2: Judgment Day has been pushed back due to a crowded late 2016 slot and a lengthy conversion process.

The digitally remastered 3D rerelease was meant to hit Chinese screens last month – which would have made it 25 years after the original came out. But now reports suggest the studios behind the updated film have changed their minds.

The tail-end of 2016 has become incredibly competitive as film officials have waved through more Hollywood films than usual to boost flagging box office figures.

Pushing the release forward to early next year also means the film won’t be competing for IMAX screens which will soon be showing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (神奇动物在哪里) and The Great Wall (长城).

Beijing- and LA-based DMG Entertainment, which is one of the studios behind the remake, will have to be careful they don’t go up against Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which could snag a January release.

It’s unclear whether the release of an accompanying massive multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) and a virtual reality game will be delayed too.

Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger is set to star in two upcoming China film projects – The Guest of Sanxingdui (三星堆来客) a USD 200 million Chinese historical epic, as well as a new movie with Jackie Chan.

We could be seeing a whole lot more of the Hollywood hero if at some of the fourth instalment of The Expendables action adventure franchise is filmed in China as has long been rumored.

Image: metrouk2.com