'Once Upon A Time in Hollywood' Will Be the First Tarantino Film Released in China

Once upon a time in China, Django Unchained, the seventh film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, was all set to be his first ever released in China. Then, just minutes before the opening, the screenings were cancelled.

Now that his latest movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has been confirmed for release on Oct 25, Tarantino fans in China are hoping that the controversial filmmaker will finally make it to the silver screen.

Previous Tarantino films were deemed a tad too graphic to land a spot in Chinese theaters, but Once Upon a Time in Hollywood apparently goes easy on the gory content – until the very end, that is, when things get a bit gruesome (the movie does surround the Manson Family, after all).

It is common for such scenes to be edited or even removed entirely before hitting Chinese theaters. Such was the case in 2015, when the much-discussed church scene was cut from The Kingsman. Back in March of this year, Bohemian Rhapsody, the biographic film about Queen lead singer Freddy Mercury went under the knife, with censors removing scenes depicting Mercury's sexual encounters with other men.

A source told the Beijinger that Sony has shown potential cuts of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to previewers in China. No cuts have been confirmed, however, and we will likely have to wait until the actual release to find out if anything has been removed at all.

So far, the movie has grossed over USD 300 million at the box office and can expect to do fairly well in China as well given the popularity of Leonardo DiCaprio. Other big-name cast members include Brad Pitt, Dakota Fanning, and Al Pacino.

READ: A History of R-Rated Films in China

Images: Indian Express, Vox