Li Ruijun’s arthouse hit Return To Dust has been dropped from theatrical release and streaming platforms in China, without any reason being given to the producers or distributors of the film.
The move prompted discussion on Chinese social media as the film was a surprise box office hit, grossing more than $15m (RMB100m), an exceptional result for a specialist film in China, before it disappeared from view.
The film was released on July 8 and played relatively well for an arthouse title, before ironically receiving a $5.3m (RMB36.2m) boost over the September 2-4 weekend when it hit streaming platforms.
It disappeared from release on September 26. China’s film regulators don’t usually give reasons for their decisions to withdraw a title from release.
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