Chinese fans will have to wait for The Farewell to make it to theaters. In a sudden move, the indie film led by Lulu Wang was suddenly pulled from theater syndication without a public reason. According to Deadline, they speculate it was chosen by ticketing firm Maoyan Entertainment to make sure they’ll get their money’s worth.
Maoyan Entertainment has yet to confirm, but with the initial theatrical release, The Farewell would have some pretty stiff competition. The film would have to go against the monolithic animated Frozen 2, which has been getting hype since day one.
On top of that, some believe it may suffer a similar fate to Crazy Rich Asians, which despite being well-received domestically, it flopped in China with a meager 1.5 million in the Box Office in its opening weeks.
This film is a potential moneymaker if the US sales are anything to go off of. Reportedly, the movie has earned $18 million in the US Box Office.
The Farewell follows a Chinese family who learns their grandmother, referred to as Nai Nai, only has a few months to live and decide to keep it secret from her. They cover up what’s seen as the last visit from their family as a wedding.
