"President Wu, if I may be blunt, this is hardly a good time for a release.
The earthquake may have passed, but its effects still linger. Putting a film out right now is just asking to be criticized.
If someone decides to use the disaster to attack the film, we'll be in even bigger trouble."
Zhang Tiancheng was genuinely curious why *The Forbidden Kingdom* was in such a rush to premiere.
Ever since the earthquake, apart from the Hollywood films scheduled by China Film Group, not a single major Chinese blockbuster had dared to open, everyone terrified of provoking public backlash.
Even the small-budget films that did manage to release didn't dare run any promotion, lest they be cursed out by the public.
Though over half a month had passed since the earthquake and the peak of its impact had waned, the shadow was still there.
Internet media companies had started reporting on other news a few days ago, but the earthquake remained the dominant headline.
Television stations went without saying—they broadcasted earthquake reports every single day, several times a day.
No other major Chinese blockbusters dared to schedule a release during this window; not a single one even announced a premiere date. Yet *The Forbidden Kingdom* was charging ahead.
And a film needed a pre-release promotional campaign to boot. Doing the math, the publicity must have kicked off around May 15th—just a few days after the earthquake had struck.
It was far too rushed, as if they were determined to push the …
Chapter 489