Will Ghostbusters Get Banned in China?

Paul Feigs new version ofGhostbustershas been getting critical praise from U.S. critics, but will it be given the chance to find an audience in China?

Varietyreports that the new sci-fi comedy maybe unable to secure distribution in the key Chinese market due to the conservative nations sanctions against pop culture that promotes cults or superstitious beliefs. Though the film has not yet been screened for government censors, Varietystates that the mere presence of ghosts in the film will qualify as undesirable material, irrespective of whether said spooks are harmlessly scarfing hot dogs.

Sony, aware of these cultural differences, attempted to get in front of the problem by retitling the film Super Power Dare-to-Die Team for Chinese territories. (And in doing so, posed the question of why they didnt go with that phenomenal title in the first place.) But even that may be to no avail; the censors can be strict in what can and cannot be screened for the public. Last year, the Gothic horror-romance Crimson Peak went without a Chinese release due to the appearance of creepy, drippy specters throughout the film.

In the bigger picture, this possible ban could be seriously harmful to Feig, Sony andGhostbusters bottom line. Securing Chinese capital on a new studio tentpole release has become crucial in recent years, as overseas revenue elevated The Avengers andFurious 7 from garden-variety blockbusters to globe-dominating uberhits. The jurys still out on whether Chinese federal officials are or aint afraid of no ghosts, but the days to come will assuredly be decisive ones for the fate of this film.