A Chinese film that was a box office, theatrical and OTT hit both grossly and critically has been suddenly scrapped without any clear explanation.
Return to Dust, a Chinese film that beautifully depicts the hardships of rural life, grossed 100 million yuan ($14 million) in two months after its release. It premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February this year.
Although the plot of Return to Dust was about rural life, the themes of the film were against nationalistic ideas. The Guardian newspaper has published a review that shows the worst face of China.
Subsequently, it was withdrawn from theaters on September 26, after some other media reported similar criticism. Later, it was nowhere to be found on any streaming platform.
About this, the makers of the film said, ‘We have not yet received any official statement regarding the banning of the film. They expressed hope that the film will be screened soon.
The Chinese film industry has a history of censoring the content of the film itself when it censors a film ready for release. Notably, films such as Despicable Me’s fifth installment, The Rise of Gru, which was released in China in August, were allowed to be released in China only after their climactic scenes were changed.