- Best Actor winner DiCaprio famous in China for his role in Titanic
- Combat violence in Revenant likely to be censored for Chinese audience
- March 18 release likely
Leonardo DiCaprio (R) in ‘The Revenant.’ (Credit: 20th Century Fox)
Just hours after receiving three Oscars at the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday—including the award for Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio—the makers of 20th Century Fox’s brutal survival drama The Revenant had even more reason to celebrate: the film will be shown in China, the fastest growing movie market on the planet.
DiCaprio is extremely well known in China because of his role in James Cameron’s Titanic. which from 1997-2009 was the highest-grossing film of all time in Chinese cinema history.
The Revenant, in which DiCaprio plays an American pioneer seeking revenge in the wilderness, will be imported by China Film Group Corporation and distributed by Huaxia Film Distribution and the Bona Film Group, according to Beijing-based Bona’s official WeChat account. Rupert Murdoch’s 20th Century Fox owns a minority stake in Bona.
The Revenant will hit Chinese screens around March 18, a representative for Guangdong Alpha Animation and Culture Company, which reportedly invested an undisclosed amount of money in the film, told Tencent News. That date has not been independently confirmed.
The Revenant was supposed to be shown in Chinese cinemas in February, but its approval was delayed after the final version of the film was handed to censors two months later than expected, according to local media reports.
The film, which depicts extreme combat violence, is likely to be censored for Chinese audiences.
Bona also bought the distribution rights to Room for which Brie Larson won the Oscar for Best Actress on Sunday, according to its company Weibo account. It was not yet clear if Bona, which made the buy at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, had secured a cinematic release for the film.
—Additional reporting by Zoe Law
