Noah has just lost out on the second largest film market as China denied the Darren Aronorsky film a release date in the country.
A distribution source said that the film failed to pass censorship requirements due to religious theme of film. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the source said, "This was for religious reasons, though it seems the whole issue was quite complicated."
Religion is a sensitive issue in the country, but THR notes that the film could have also partially been denied due to commercial reasons because U.S. films have been dominating the Chinese box office over local fare. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 grossed a record $10 million on its first day, while Captain America: The Winter Soldier earned almost $116 million.
Several other countries, mainly those with large Muslim populations, have refused to release the biblical Russell Crowe film. At the end of March, Indonesia opted to ban the film, joining United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahraine and Qatar due to contradictions with Islam.
Still, despite the ban, Noah has done well, already passing $300 million worldwide, easily passing its $125 million budget.