With the return of the Matrix franchise looming as Christmas creeps ever closer, it looks like the simulation will now be making its way to China as well. Warner Bros. has announced that The Matrix Resurrections has been cleared for an eventual premiere in China, having passed the country’s strict censorship standards and screening approval processes.
The film has yet to receive a Chinese release date, but is one of few major Hollywood productions to pass the country’s strict censorship screenings this year. (Also notably on the list is Spider-Man: No Way Home, the first Marvel Phase Four film to pass screenings.) The number of Hollywood films approved by the country’s censorship board has declined in recent months, and indeed, there are no films confirmed for a Chinese release in the last two months of 2021, meaning that if Resurrections seals the deal and squeezes in before December 31, it could benefit from the increasing demand for Hollywood films.
The Chinese release news is also accompanied by a new poster, showing off silhouettes of original heroes Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) walking amidst a greenish rain that looks eerily similar to the original code of the Matrix. It is the third poster of its kind to be released promoting the film, after the reveal of eight new character posters and a promotional poster highlighting a team-up between Neo, Trinity, and a number of young newcomers.
Resurrections is the first film in the Matrix franchise to be released after China’s rise to power as one of the most influential and profitable film markets in the world. The Matrix franchise has long been a popular one in the country, however, with the original film gaining hefty popularity from DVD piracy in the late 90s and early 2000s, and The Matrix Revolutions becoming the first Hollywood film to open day and date in China alongside major Western markets.
The Matrix Resurrections, directed and co-written by Lana Wachowski and also starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, and Jessica Henwick, premieres in American theaters and on HBO Max on December 22. Check out the new poster below:
