It’s official!  Inception is hitting IMAX screens across the mainland on September 21, nearly 2 months after its release in Hong Kong.  There was some back-and-forth about whether the movie would be given one of the 20 slots reserved for foreign films each year but the release date has now been confirmed by the Associated Press and China Radio International.

Many believe the film’s release was pushed back to allow Feng Xiaogang’s Aftershock to play uncontested.  As a result Aftershock has broken domestic box office records but I can’t help wondering how well it would have done against competition.  Last December the World Trade Organization rejected China’s appeal to maintain strict control over foreign film distribution and China has until this December to implement the law.  But with less than six months left, China still seems intent on protecting domestic releases.

Some domestic releases, I should say.  Aftershock was the Chinese film industry’s summer tentpole and with its sensitive subject matter and tacit approval of the Communist Party, its no wonder the government tried so hard to protect it.  But China Film Group, the association that controls all movie distribution in China, has no qualms about throwing Inception in with several, less important Chinese films that also premiere in September.

EDIT: For reasons unknown, the release date for Inception has been moved up to September 2nd.

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Sources:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55O0OG20090625
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i9b1395cce9be0a2e41fb96653bbdeeaf
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/7027413.html