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Crayon Shin-chan, Live-Action Cells at Work! Films Delayed in China Amid Political Tensions
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Chinese media outlets reported on Monday that the Chinese openings of the Eiga Crayon Shin-chan Chō Karei! Shakunetsu no Kasukabe Dancers and live-action Cells at Work! films have been delayed from their respective December 6 and December 22 openings, with no new release dates announced yet.
The delays come amid recent growing tensions between China and Japan, stemming from remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on November 7, when she stated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute "a situation threatening Japan's survival," and thus allow Japan to take possible military action. (The wording referenced the 2015 legislation by the Shinzō Abe/LDP administration that added the stipulation of "a situation threatening Japan's survival" to Japan's Act on the Peace and Independence of Japan and Maintenance of the Security of the Nation and the People in Armed Attack Situations legislation.)
Chinese diplomatic officials have since condemned the comment, while the Chinese foreign ministry has since urged Chinese nationals to refrain from traveling to Japan. Chinese airlines began offering free flight refunds for flights going to and from Japan on Saturday. Travelers from China and Hong Kong represent the largest number of travelers from any region or country to Japan yearly, with 7.48 million travelers going to Japan from China from January to September this year.
The fate of Japanese films currently screening in China remains unclear. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns, the first film in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle trilogy, opened in China on Friday, and it earned 373 million RMB (about US$52.53 million) in its first three days in China. The film's IMAX screenings in the country earned the equivalent of US$12.3 million, becoming the highest-earning and selling IMAX opening for a Japanese film in China.
Sources: Mainichi Shimbun, Jiji.com via Yaraon!
