Plagiarism backlash? Cinemas pull film directed by Guo Jingming, days after Chinese writer’s belated apology for copying another novelist’s work in 2003
- In 2006 a court ordered Guo Jingming to publicly apologise for plagiarism. It took 14 years, and the threat of a film industry boycott, for him to say sorry
- Then a blockbuster he directed, The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity, vanished from China’s cinemas. A backlash, or did it plagiarise too, as a report hinted?
Popular Chinese novelist and screenwriter Guo Jingming may have finally apologised for plagiarising another writer’s work on the last day of 2020 – some 14 years after a court ordered him to do so – but has he been forgiven?
A recent blockbuster film directed by him was abruptly pulled from cinemas across China this week. While the reason for its withdrawal is unknown, those in the industry suspect it has something to do with Guo’s now tarnished reputation.
Based on the Japanese fantasy novel Onmyōji, The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity was taken out of cinema schedules on Tuesday, despite having taken about 450 million yuan (US$70 million) at the box office in the 11 days since its release on December 25.
Those who bought tickets for screenings on or after January 5 are entitled to a refund.
Meanwhile, streaming giant Netflix, which holds the distribution rights to the film outside China, confirms the costumed suspense drama will be released on its platform as scheduled on February 5.