Source: Entertainment Weekly

Avatar may be breaking records and winning over audiences the world over - not to mention those Golden Globes judges - but there is one place where its charms are wearing thin. Chinese officials are reportedly pulling James Cameron’s sci-fi extravaganza off the screens to make way for a biopic of Confucius starring Chow Yun-Fat.

Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily reports that the state-run distributor, China Film Group, made the decision after propaganda officials complained that having Avatar play in over 1600 Chinese theatres was taking away too much market share from homegrown movies. They were also concerned that the film’s message was bringing unwanted attention to the issue of forced evictions; millions of Chinese people have been relocated to make room for government projects.

But, even though Avatar’s run is being cut short, and even though it has only been playing in China for two weeks, it has made $73.2 million at the box office making it the highest grossing fim in the country’s history.