Cancellation of ‘The Dark Knight’ Screening in Hong Kong Was Not Politically-Motivated, Says City Government

Patrick Frater
·3 min read
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The organizer of an outdoor screening of Batman movie “The Dark Knight” has canceled the projection after being warned by the Hong Kong government against going ahead, according to reports by the Bloomberg financial news agency.

While initially the cancellation appeared to be another case of the Hong Kong authorities’ growing intolerance of politically sensitive content, the incident is more likely to be connected to the content being deemed too violent for an outdoor screening.

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The Christopher Nolan-directed movie was partially filmed in Hong Kong in 2007 and was released in the city’s theaters in 2008. But it was effectively banned in mainland China and did not play there.

Bloomberg reported on Friday that a planned screening of “The Dark Knight” on Oct. 27 had been canceled. It cited a message sent to ticket holders that explained the decision was “based on direction from the HK Government Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration.” The Bloomberg report did not specify the identity of the organizer or the venue of the planned screening.

“The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration would not comment on the application of individual films,” the organization said in an emailed response to Variety’s inquiries.

Several hours later the Hong Kong government put out a more detailed denial – “a spokesman said solemnly that the relevant reports are groundless and inconsistent with the facts”— and pointed to a revised statement from the event organizer.

“Because the Film, Newspaper and Articles Management Office believes that the film contains violent content and the level is not suitable for outdoor broadcasting, the organizer has decided to change the film to be shown,” the government said.

“The Dark Knight” was given a Category IIB rating (roughly equivalent to an R rating in the U.S.) because of the level of violence it contains. Films of that classification and higher cannot be shown in Hong Kong at open-air venues. The organizer appears to have been unaware of the rule and has now replaced it with a screening of “Iron Man.”

Hong Kong has increasingly aligned its media policies with those of mainland China over the last three years and, as a result, has tumbled in the rankings of press freedom, elaborated annually by Reporters Without Borders, an NGO.

Mainland Chinese authorities were unimpressed by the 2008 Batman film which insinuates police corruption and includes other anti-Chinese insults.

One of sub-plots in “The Dark Knight” involves Lau, a corrupt accountant played by Chin Han, who bribes the local police for protection and offers to launder money in Hong Kong on behalf of the Gotham criminals that Batman is pursuing. “The Chinese will not extradite one of their own,” he boasts to the mobsters by way of explanation.

While grimy subjects including money-laundering, corruption of officials and organized crime have been the stuff of hundreds of Hong Kong movies, such content cannot be made in mainland China, nor released without modification.

At the time of the original release, the studio distributor responsible Warner Bros. said: “Based on a number of pre-release conditions that are being attached to ‘The Dark Knight,’ as well as cultural sensitivities to some elements of the film, we have opted to forgo a theatrical release of the film in China.”





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