Ziyi Zhang and Gong Li's Hollywood movie Memoirs of a Geisha is set
to be released in the United States in December, but the screen date on
the Chinese mainland remains undecided.
Information from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television
on Sunday said the release on the mainland might be postponed from
January 9th to February 10th, depending on whether a sex scene can be
cut in time.
The planned mainland opening in Beijing on January 9th is now moved to Hong Kong.
Columbia Pictures' China distributors consider February a good time for the opening of Geisha on the mainland.
The film is expected to get large exposure during the Academy Award
presentations in the United States in March. This would greatly help to
warm up the mainland market, said Zhang Mao, a district distribution
manager for Columbia Pictures in China.
The Beijing opening will include leading actresses Zhang and Gong along
with Michelle Yeoh, as well as prominent Chinese directors Zhang Yimou
and Feng Xiaogang.
Since the film is in English, Zhang and Gong will probably do their own dubbing for the mandarin version.
The film is rated PG-13 in the United States.