The Batman is bowing out of China. In a move based more on political considerations than financial ones, Warner Bros has opted not to release The Dark Knight in the Chinese market.

“Based on a number of prerelease conditions that are being attached to The Dark Knight as well as cultural sensitivities to some elements of the film, we have opted to forego a theatrical release of the film in China,” the studio says in a statement.

Since most Batfans on the Mainland have likely seen the film on a pirated DVD, the move is unlikely to hurt the film’s ticket sales ($996 million so far), but will keep Dark Knight from creeping closer to Titanic’s all-time record $1.8 billion.

Studio execs were undoubtedly wary of offending the communist government’s touchy Ministry of Culture, which has to approve all films for release in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

The singer Madonna has settled with Guy Ritchie for $75 million, or about £50 million, as part of their divorce agreement, her representative, Liz Rosenberg.

Film director Ritchie’s spokesman made no immediate comment. The couple was granted a preliminary decree of divorce on November 21 Britain’s High Court in London. The couple have six weeks and a day from that hearing before the divorce becomes final. 

The two-part divorce is standard in Britain. The window of time allows anyone who objects to the divorce — or has changed their minds — to notify the court. The couple married at Scotland’s Skibo Castle eight years ago. They have three children – Rocco, born to the couple in 2000; David, adopted from Malawi; and Lourdes, Madonna’s daughter from her previous relationship with dancer Carlos Leon. Read the rest of this entry »