HOLLYWOOD - Jackie Chan's new action comedy sequel Rush Hour 3 has been sensationally banned in China, despite his status as a national hero.
The Hong Kong-born actor's film has prompted controversy in recent weeks over a scene where a family involved in organized crime visits Paris. The association with Triad gang members reportedly angered Chinese authorities.
But the state-run Film Bureau insists the decision to block the movie's release was taken for commercial reasons, even though the first two movies in the franchise were box office hits.
Xiao Ping, of China Film Group's import and export department, says, "We think it will not be popular in China."
Under strict rules, only 20 foreign releases a year are permitted in China and many that make it through the censors are severely edited first--like the unflattering portrayal of Chow Yun-Fat's pirate character in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End earlier this year.
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