China Pulls 'Django Unchained' From Premiere... Why?

China has unexpectedly pulled Quentin Tarentino’s Oscar-winning “Django Unchained,” which was scheduled to open there Thursday.

The film, rather than airing, was abruptly pulled from theaters.

It’s not good news for the film. China is the world’s second-largest film market, so that spells a serious loss of profit if there’s further delay.

The U.S. says it has no idea why the film was so quickly rejected. News of the withdrawal came as a surprise to Django's studio, Sony Pictures Entertainment released a statement expressing its surprise. "We regret that ‘Django Unchained’ has been removed from theaters," said spokesperson Steve Elzer, "and are working with the Chinese authorities to determine whether the film can be rescheduled.”

Sony’s note that the film’s release may be rescheduled “suggested some relatively narrow problem, rather than broad objections to the movie’s celebration of rebellion,” and at the theaters in Beijing, workers told the media that "unspecified technical problems" were the cause for the delay.

Scenes had already been edited within the film to make it more appropriate for Chinese audiences, including making blood look less realistic and toning down splatters on the wall.

According to the Times, however, the issue may be another form of censorship that was overlooked.

Government officials may have taken objection to scenes with brief nudity.

On Weibo, the country's dominant social network, audiences were reassured that eventually, “Django Unchained” will make it into theaters. An account for “Django” posted, "Thank you to all our friends and film fanatics (fans)! We are trying our best to do our work and ensure everyone has the chance to meet 'Django Unchained' as quickly as possible."