LOS ANGELES _ Distribution of Quentin Tarantino's film "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" in China has been postponed indefinitely, The Times confirmed Friday.
The movie was to be released Oct. 25 in the Asian nation, which offers a vast potential audience. The Chinese distributor is Beijing-based Bona Film Group, which has a 25% stake in the film.
While the reason for the delay was unclear _ the film's violence is one possibility _ it could also be due to an appeal for changes reportedly made directly to China's National Film Administration by Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, according to sources cited by the Hollywood Reporter.
Shannon Lee, who is chief executive of the Bruce Lee Family Co., was not immediately reachable Friday morning for comment. However, when Tarantino's film came out in the U.S. in July, she called her father's depiction a "mockery."
"The script treatment of my father as this arrogant, egotistical punching bag was really disheartening _ and, I feel, unnecessary," Lee told The Times over the summer.
Tarantino later said at a press conference that Bruce Lee was "kind of an arrogant guy," prompting the martial arts expert's daughter to say the director "could shut up about it" or own up to the fact he didn't know what her father was like.
Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, but his family moved to Hong Kong when he was an infant. There is a memorial statue of the martial artist in Hong Kong, which is now caught up in massive protests against the Chinese government.
The distribution dust-up is the just the latest example of Hollywood studios having to navigate China's strict censorship rules and comes during a period of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China.
The National Basketball Association struggled to respond to China's demands that the league apologize for a since-deleted tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting protesters in Hong Kong. Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN has faced criticism for its coverage, or lack thereof, of the dispute.
"South Park," from Viacom Inc.-owned Comedy Central, was banned from China after a recent episode satirized Chinese human rights violations and censorship. The episode, titled "Band in China," also lampooned Hollywood's attempts to cater to Chinese officials in order to tap the market, which is expected to eventually surpass the U.S. and Canada as the world's largest box office.
In another incident, DreamWorks Animation's "Abominable" was pulled from theaters in Vietnam because it contained a map _ subsequently shared on social media _ that showed China unilaterally controlling a vast expanse of the South China Sea, where Vietnam also claims rights.
With a $90 million budget, "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" has grossed about $367 million in global box office receipts after its late July release, making it one of the director's biggest performers. His highest-grossing film remains 2012's "Django Unchained," which collected $425 million.
"Django" was pulled by censors in China literally during its premiere there in April 2013. It was edited and rereleased a month later but flopped, grossing only $2.75 million.
A rep for Tarantino did not reply immediately to a request for comment.
