The parent company of Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures has yet to make a formal application to China's board, seeking approval to screen "Ghostbusters." Earlier reports said the movie will not be showing in China, which was a bad news for the film, after receiving online controversies even prior to its July 15 release. However, it may after all is not haunted or cursed as it will be possibly released in the world's faster-growing and second largest movie market.
The remake of the 1984 hit has been reportedly not qualified for a China release because a People's Republic of China censorship guideline allegedly prohibits movies that "promote cult and superstition," according to Hollywood Reporter. Another thing is that Chinese moviegoers may not be interested with the film since many did not see the 1984 original release.
Nevertheless, the Columbia Pictures tentpole may still be shown in China, U.S. News reported. There is no given decision yet, so there is still a potential for Chinese audiences to watch the movie.
Sony has "big expectations for the film in Asia," before its August 19 release in Japan. The film had already been controversial prior to its release, such as negative feedbacks buzzing in social media because of its all female cast, plus lukewarm reviews which prompted Metacritic to describe it as "not as bad as people feared ... but not as good as the (1984) original."
Negative buzz on the Internet could adversely affect "Ghostbusters" and its executives could resort to an alternative to save the film from becoming a flop - release it in China. The movie stars budding comediennes Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. McCarthy and Wiig were in the 2011 "Bridesmaids," and with McKinnon and Jones, the quartet are scientists who hilariously fight and catch undead creatures.
The 1984 original hit starred white actors Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. It was looked upon as a classic so that when news broke about a reboot that will feature an all female star cast, many lashed the film online. The reboot's trailer became the most disliked video in the history of YouTube.
Check the official "Ghostbusters" 2016 trailer below.