Mel Gibson's 'Hackshaw Ridge' Becomes 6th Film to Exceed 2016 Chinese Box Office Import Limit

Mel Gibson-directed war epic Hacksaw Ridge (血战钢锯岭) has secured a theatrical release in China on Thursday, December 8, the latest Hollywood film to secure a slot in the last couple of months of 2016.

The announcement pushes up the number of Hollywood films released in China on revenue-sharing terms to about 40, or six films over what is normally a cutoff point for imported films.

December is normally a “blackout period” for foreign films, but goosing the annual box office stats has suddenly become more important than protecting local films.

Box-office growth for the year slowed to just 4.7 percent by the end of October – a pretty marked slowdown when you compare it to 2015's jaw-dropping 48 percent growth rate.

Hacksaw tells the true story of Desmond Doss, played by Andrew Garfield, the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon. According to Beijing News, some cuts have been made to the film which is rated R in the United States. Citing Bliss Media CEO Han Wei, the newspaper said less than 30 seconds of the film had been cut.

“The relevant department didn’t demand any cuts from the final version we submitted,” the CEO is quoted as saying. “All the battle scenes will be shown except for some minor tweaks. Local audiences will pretty much be able to see the complete version.”

The war epic hits screens a week after another World War II film Allied (间谍同盟), which stars Brad Pitt, is due to hit screens. Allied was originally meant to have a day-and-date release on November 23, but was subsequently pushed forward to November 30.

Pitt is in Shanghai at the moment promoting the Robert Zemeckis directed film which also stars Marion Cotillard. The visit marks his first promotional appearance for a film in China ever.

Chinese media have taken to calling him 不辣的皮特 Bù là de Pítè seemingly because it rhymes with his actual Chinese name 布拉德·皮特 Bù lā dé Pítè. The fact his new nickname can be translated as “Not Hot Pitt” seems a bit of an (unintended?) burn, to pardon the pun.

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

Meanwhile, Deepwater Horizon (深海浩劫), Lionsgate’s disaster drama, is hitting screens today (Nov 15). Disney's Moana (海洋奇缘) and Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (神奇动物在哪里) are out on November 25 followed by Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (佩小姐的奇幻城堡) on December 2.

Photos: movie.mtime.com, news.mtime.com