Entertainment
Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' to be released in China on Nov. 1

HONG KONG (AP): Ang Lee's new spy thriller ``Lust, Caution,'' known for its explicit sexuality, will be released in China on Nov. 1, its distributor said on Monday.

The movie's steamy scenes, which had already earned restrictive ratings in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia, had prompted concerns on whether the movie could clear Chinese censors known for their aversion to sex and violence. Lee said earlier censors have approved an edited version with fewer sex scenes, but a release date had not been announced.

The mainland Chinese market is important to Lee because ``Lust, Caution'' is mainly targeted at the Chinese-speaking market and isn't getting a wide release in the U.S. The movie also went over its US$12 million (euro8.5 million) budget _ big by Chinese standards _ and Lee said he fronted another US$2 million (euro1.4 million).

Zhang Hongyan, a publicist at the Beijing office of Hong Kong-based Edko Films, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that ``Lust, Caution'' will be released nationally in China on Nov. 1.

She said she didn't know how much was edited from the movie, but Lee said earlier in an interview on CNN he cut 7 or 8 minutes, less than the 11 minutes he cut from the Malaysian version.

Zhang said it still wasn't clear if Lee will visit China for the movie's premiere.

Piracy is another concern for Lee, given the earlier release of ``Lust, Caution'' in other parts of Asia, but the director was quoted as saying by the official Web site of the state-run China Film Group last week that pirated copies haven't surfaced in China.

Hong Kong movie theaters also implemented bag searches for video equipment.

``Lust, Caution,'' based on a short story by famed Chinese writer Eileen Chang, is about an undercover activist who seduces the Japanese-allied intelligence chief in World War II-era Shanghai to pave way for his assassination.

The movie features violent and abusive sex and a variety of lovemaking positions.

``Lust, Caution,'' which won the top Golden Lion prize at the recent Venice Film Festival, has made more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars (US$3.9 million; euro2.7 million) in Hong Kong as of Sunday, according to Edko.

In the U.S., the movie has made US$1.26 million (euro890,000) in 77 movie theaters as of Sunday and US$7.5 million (euro5.3 million) abroad, according to the box office tracking Web site Box Office Mojo, giving it a total worldwide box office of US$8.7 million (euro6.14 million) _ still short of the production budget of US$14 million (euro9.9 million).

A wide release in China by a famous filmmaker like Lee, who won a best director Oscar for the gay romance ``Brokeback Mountain'' last year, could earn millions of U.S. dollars and help boost the director's profitability.

By comparison, ``Brokeback Mountain'' made US$83 million (euro59 million) in the U.S., ``Hulk'' earned US$132 million (euro93 million) and ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' US$128 million (euro90.3 million).

The upcoming release of ``Lust, Caution'' in China also comes amid speculation that Chinese officials are holding back the release of controversial movies before the 17th Chinese Communist Party congress, which started Monday.

Authorities have recently cracked down on TV and radio shows they considered lewd or coarse, including TV shows on cosmetic surgery, sex changes and ads for sex toys.

Entertainment

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