BEIJING, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Authorities in China have prohibited the release of U.S. films for at least three, and possibly as long as six months.
U.S. studio distribution executives declined to discuss the situation, but speculation is the ban will last until after the Chinese New Year in early February, Variety.com said Thursday.
Disagreements with U.S. trade policy and the success of American movies at the expense of local films are believed to be two of the major motivations for the embargo, the entertainment industry trade paper said.
"This is only about American films, not films from other countries handled by these companies," one source said of the ban.
Hollywood films made as Chinese co-productions, such as "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," may be allowed to open in China without delays.
