By Keen Zhang

Even though some of its most spectacular scenes were shot in Hong Kong, Warner Bros. has decided not to pursue a release of "The Dark Knight" on the Chinese mainland, the studio said in a statement Tuesday.

"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 forego a theatrical release of the film in China," Warner said.

It’s possible Warner Bros feared scenes in which Gotham DA Harvey Dent recommends American guns over Chinese guns, and the Caped Crusader circumvents extradition laws by kidnapping a Chinese tycoon to take him back for trial in Gotham City, would offend the Chinese film authorities.

A third possibility is the cameo appearance of Hong Kong actor-singer Edison Chen, who was deeply involved in a sex photo scandal earlier this year.

Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" is the top grossing film of 2008, having raked in US$531 million at the US box office and US$465 million overseas so far this year, and is the second highest grossing American movie of all time after "Titanic".

A source said Warner Bros. did not even submit the movie to Chinese authorities for approval.

The Batman series has not so far been a spectacular success on the Chinese mainland. "Batman Begins", the 2005 debut of the new Batman series, was screened in China after some sensitive scenes were cut, but only grossed 20.7 million yuan (US$3.02 million), while, by comparison, another super-hero flick, the third installment of the Spider-Man series, grossed 145 million yuan (US$21.21 million) in China last year.

(China.org.cn December 25, 2008)