Hunger Games fans in China have to wait until next year to watch Mockingjay, Part 1 as its theatrical release has been delayed.
Many European countries get the penultimate Hunger Games instalment tonight, while it opens in U.S. cinemas Friday, November 21.
The Chinese Mockingjay, Part 1 premiere date was set for Friday, but Variety reports today that the movie has been delayed until 2015.
International releases are sometimes scattered across as much as six months; as a general rule, Hollywood blockbusters open in America first, with Japan being one of the last to begin screening big Western films.
In countries where dubbing is still standard practice, it is often necessary to delay the films, because the recording can’t commence until the final mix is complete. (However, France is getting Mockingjay, Part 1 on the 19, so for big releases they’re able to move quickly.)
There are also legal issues such as regional music licensing, working out copyrights and ratings, and marketing.
But in this case, it seems Chinese Hunger Games fans were snubbed of their Friday premiere for a much more bureaucratic reason.
In China, the government allows a total of 34 U.S. movies to be released each year. China obviously has a huge film industry of its own, and needs to make room in the market.
On November 11, it was announced by Ivanhoe Pictures and Beijing Galloping Horse Film Co. that Begin Again (the 2013 comedy starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo) had been allotted a 2014 release slot.
This pushes Mockingjay, Part 1 back to January 2015.
It is likely the decision was made to give upcoming Chinese films more of a push in the last stretch of 2014. The Hollywood Reporter lists Gone with the Bullets, The Crossing and The Taking of Tiger Mountain among films yet to be released, and America already had a big year in China with Transformers: Age of Extinction.
Mockingjay, Part 1 is expected to be absolutely huge, and will likely dwarf its competition.
Still, Chinese fans are probably very disappointed about the unexpected delay.