Tom Cruise's 'Digger' draws polarising early reviews after London premiere

Tenberal correspondent Simon Wong reports, assistive technologies may have been used in this article:

Birdman Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu and Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise's new blockbuster film Digger was originally scheduled to open in Hong Kong tomorrow (1st October) for the National Day holiday, earlier than its North American release, but it has been pulled from the schedule, correspondents in Hong Kong told us that major cinema chains in Hong Kong and Macau have stopped advance ticket sales, and related promotional materials across Hong Kong have been entirely removed. Meanwhile, the mainland Chinese market has yet to receive any release date, leaving the release plans for this major annual blockbuster across the Greater China region in limbo.

Digger is billed as a subversive departure for Tom Cruise, in which he plays an immensely influential global figure attempting to turn the tide amid an out-of-control apocalyptic crisis. The film is described as a satirical dark comedy blending disaster elements with a questioning of human nature. It was originally set to premiere tomorrow across all Hong Kong cinemas and IMAX screens, a day ahead of its scheduled 2nd October release in the US and UK. However, starting last Friday (25th), screening schedules at multiple cinemas across Hong Kong and Macau suddenly removed the film, ticketing platforms halted all advance sales, and promotional items previously released by major chains were successively pulled.

According to reports, this sudden change in the Hong Kong and Macau release schedule is suspected to be related to certain dialogue in the film touching upon sensitive themes. Industry insiders have revealed that for the film to be screened locally as scheduled, it may need to be re-edited. However, any alterations must first be approved by the director and the studio, Warner Brothers, which would be difficult to accomplish in such a short space of time. Whether the film can still be successfully released in Hong Kong remains uncertain. This is under the "controversial" Hong Kong's national security law, and the amendment to the Basic Law, which gave governments more power than ever before to control medias and arts expression in Hong Kong.

However, international promotion has remained unaffected; Tom Cruise and the director just finished premiere events in London and Mexico last week, and the film is proceeding with its scheduled 2nd October wide release across Europe and the Americas. As for the mainland Chinese market, reports of stalled censorship approval emerged as early as the middle of this month. Now, with the Hong Kong and Macau releases completely cancelled, the prospect of a theatrical release on the mainland in the near term has grown even dimmer. Distributors and cinema chains have yet to issue an official response regarding the withdrawal. Fans in Hong Kong who have already bought advance tickets or hold relevant exchange vouchers are still awaiting further announcements from cinemas regarding refunds and subsequent arrangements.

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National Day in Hong Kong: authority still censoring arts as Tom Cruise's Diggers is pulled from cinemas

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