One of the Chinese financiers of Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge” has sued Chinese distributor Bliss Media for 10 million yuan (about $1.5 million) after its credit was pulled from the Oscar-nominated World War II drama in Chinese theaters, TheWrap has learned.
Kylin Pictures is also requesting the restoration of its credit, and for Bliss to pay its legal costs.
“We see our credit in the U.S. and Australia, but in China’s release it was taken out,” Kylin CEO Leo Shi Young told TheWrap. “You can see it deliberately moving out because our credits are shared with another company and that company is still there and ours is taken out.”
TheWrap obtained a complaint filed in Shanghai Court as well as videos and screen grabs (above) showing Kylin’s credit in the U.S. and Australian versions of the film, but missing in the Chinese one.
“Hacksaw Ridge,” which stars Andrew Garfield as real-life pacifist and conscientious objector Desmond Doss, has grossed more than $60 million at the Chinese box office. The film, which picked up six Oscar nominations on Tuesday, has earned $65.5 million domestically for Lionsgate.
According to a translated version of the complaint — and explained by Young — once Kylin became aware of its missing credit, the company reached out to main production company, Cross Creek Pictures, who was surprised by the revelation and referred Kylin to IM Global, the movie’s international sales agent.
IM Global then sent a letter to Bliss Media asking what happened, but Young said Kylin has yet to receive a real explanation.
“They didn’t explain why, but I think they cited some information about some kind of Kylin Pictures internal conflict,” he said. “Absolutely no truth — it’s ridiculous. I think they just mumbo-jumboed.”
Bliss Media and IM Global have not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Young said Kylin’s contract with the filmmakers gave the company the rights to have its production credit displayed globally, but that Bliss denied the document applied to its Chinese distribution.
“We have all the screen captures, we have the videos of the credits,” Young added. “They don’t deny they somehow removed it. They did say we don’t have a contract with Kylin Pictures — that’s why they shouldn’t look for us.”
Young said the credit removal wasn’t a completely unexpected development, citing some bad blood in the past. Kylin was involved in a lawsuit last year involving Bliss Media and a lawyer who allegedly misrepresented the rights to the Bruce Lee movie “Birth of the Dragon.”
“We have a problem with Bliss because we did work with them before,” he acknowledged. “There probably were some bad feelings in there, which is why they decided to remove our credit.”
Young said it was important for Kylin to file its complaint ahead of the movie’s video-on-demand release to “remedy those violations” in time. He suggested the missing credits episode is part of a larger issue upstart Chinese film companies like Kylin have as they dive further into film financing and production — with Hollywood’s blessing.
“This probably will at least give other companies better experience or lessons to have legal work done thoroughly,” he said. “How do we meld into this industry, and deal with the problems we have?”
Oscars 2017: We Predict Nominations in All 24 Categories (Photos)
TheWrap awards guru Steve Pond expects a whole lot of "La La Land" -- and some surprises
Best Picture
Predicted nominees, in order of probability: "La La Land" "Moonlight" "Manchester by the Sea" "Arrival" "Lion" "Hell or High Water" "Hidden Figures" "Fences"
If there's a ninth nominee: "Hacksaw Ridge"
Best Director
Predicted nominees: Damien Chazelle, "La La Land" Barry Jenkins, "Moonlight" Denis Villeneuve, "Arrival" Kenneth Lonergan, "Manchester by the Sea" David Mackenzie, "Hell or High Water"
Best Actor
Predicted nominees: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea" Denzel Washington, "Fences" Ryan Gosling, "La La Land" Andrew Garfield, "Hacksaw Ridge" Viggo Mortensen, "Captain Fantastic"
Best Actress
Predicted nominees: Emma Stone, "La La Land" Natalie Portman, "Jackie" Isabelle Huppert, "Elle" Amy Adams, "Arrival" Meryl Streep, "Florence Foster Jenkins"
Best Supporting Actor
Predicted nominees: Mahershala Ali, "Moonlight" Jeff Bridges, "Hell or High Water" Dev Patel, "Lion" Lucas Hedges, "Manchester by the Sea" Hugh Grant, "Florence Foster Jenkins"
Predicted nominees: "Manchester by the Sea" "La La Land" "Hell or High Water" "Captain Fantastic" "The Lobster"
Best Animated Feature
Predicted nominees: "Zootopia" "Kubo and the Two Strings" "My Life as a Zucchini" "The Red Turtle" "Your Name"
Best Documentary Feature
Predicted nominees: "O.J.: Made in America" "Life, Animated" "I Am Not Your Negro" "Cameraperson" "13th"
Best Foreign Language Film
Predicted nominees: "Toni Erdmann" (Germany) "The Salesman" (Iran) "Land of Mine" (Denmark) "My Life as a Zucchini" (Switzerland) "Paradise" (Russia)
Best Original Song
Predicted nominees: "City of Stars" from "La La Land" "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana" "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from "La La Land" "Letter to the Free" from "13th" "The Rules Don't Apply" from "Rules Don't Apply"
Best Original Score
Predicted nominees: "La La Land" "Moonlight" "Lion" "The BFG" "Nocturnal Animals"
Best Cinematography
Predicted nominees: "La La Land" "Moonlight" "Arrival" "Silence" "Jackie"
Best Editing
Predicted nominees: "La La Land" "Hacksaw Ridge" "Arrival" "Moonlight" "Manchester by the Sea"
Best Costume Design
Predicted nominees: "Jackie" "La La Land" "Florence Foster Jenkins" "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" "The Dressmaker"
Best Production Design
Predicted nominees: "La La Land" "Jackie" "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" "Hail, Caesar!" "The Handmaiden"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Predicted nominees: "Deadpool" "Star Trek Beyond" "A Man Called Ove"
Predicted nominees: "La La Land" "Hacksaw Ridge" "Arrival" "Rogue One" "Deepwater Horizon"
Best Visual Effects
Predicted nominees: "The Jungle Book" "Rogue One" "Deepwater Horizon" "Arrival" "Kubo and the Two Strings"
Best Documentary Short
From what I have seen and heard, the ones to watch in the documentary-short category are "The White Helmets," "Joe's Violin," "Close Ties" and "4.1 Miles" at the top of the list, with "Watani: My Homeland" and "Extremis" in the running as well.
Best Live Action Short
I wouldn't bet against Kim Magnusson's "Silent Nights" since the Danish producer has been nominated five times and won twice. There's also buzz behind the postapocalyptic "Graffiti," the Student Oscar winner "Nocturne in Black," the comic "Timecode" (with a late-minute twist, which Oscar voters love) the Hungarian childhood tale "Sing" and Selim Azzazi's "Ennemis Interieurs," about a man caught in a French terrorist investigation.
Best Animated Short
Two are from Disney/Pixar ("Piper" and "Inner Workings"), though neither is among those companies' best, while "Borrowed Time" was made by moonlighting Pixar artists. Viewers can change the perspective in "Pearl" by 360 degrees, but the technology might outweigh the charming story. Academy voters like hand-drawn animation, which could help "Once Upon a Line," and they like personal stories, which covers "Pear Cider and Cigarettes." But also look out for "Blind Vaysha," which has a spectacular look, and "The Head Vanishes," about a woman suffering from dementia.
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TheWrap awards guru Steve Pond expects a whole lot of ”La La Land“ — and some surprises
TheWrap awards guru Steve Pond expects a whole lot of "La La Land" -- and some surprises
