The vice director of the film bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said last week that "Avatar" would be limited to 3-D and IMAX screens after "Confucius" opened on Jan. 22 on 2-D screens.
However, due to the popularity of "Avatar" and the sparse audiences for the domestic film "Confucius," 2-D showings of "Avatar" have continued at some theaters outside Beijing this week according to theater employees and officials.
In Shanghai, an official with the biggest local cinema chain told fans not to worry that they would miss “Avatar” because of state-imposed restrictions. Wu Hehu, a senior manager for the chain, Shanghai United Circuit, told a Shanghai daily newspaper that its theaters would continue to show “Avatar” on both 3-D and 2-D screens.
The state film bureau stated that the decision to pull "Avatar" from 2-D screens was purely commercial. According to Mr. Zhang of the state film bureau, "Confucius" was available only in the standard 2-D format and that "Avatar" had not performed as well in theaters with 2-D screens as with 3-D and IMAX.
However, "Avatar" is racking up an estimated 2.5 times the revenue as "Confucius" and the decision to pull "Avatar" from 2-D screen seems commercial folly.
What the film bureau should have done was to delay the opening of "Confucius" until "Avatar" viewers thinned. The market's demand for "Avatar" is high so it seems commercially sound to give what the market want.
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