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King Kong Escapes!

 King Kong Escapes! ( 1968 )  was released theatrically in New Zealand with only a Y certificate ( Recommended as suitable for persons aged 13 and over ). No record of any description to date has been located to prove that the film was ever banned or theatrically released in Australia by Universal or any other distributor. My question is why wasn't it released in Australia?

Three possible explanations are -

1 ) The film was actually banned in Australia but records to prove this just aren't available. I doubt the film was banned in Australia given the mild classification given to the New Zealand release plus the fact no other King Kong titles to the best of my knowledge were ever banned in Australia. King Kong Vs. Godzilla released in Australian in the 1970s was rated only NRC. 

2 ) Some film titles Universal acquired in the 1960s  were granted only film rights to the United States and sometimes along with Canadian rights a few other countries as well. Perhaps this was a possibility here but I have my doubts. Seeing Australia and New Zealand are in the same region one would think both Countries would have had the film rights to screen the film.

3 ) A longshot in that no one wished to distribute the film in Australia but find I this hard to accept as happening. 

I am thinking there must have been another reason why the film wasn't released in Australia but I cannot come up with any other explanation as to what that may have been. This entry certainly belongs here under the X-files ( the missing and unexplained ).


Comments

  • edited April 2016
    Option 3.
    Perhaps the cost to the distributor was far greater than the likely return given it was (apparently) a shockingly bad movie


  • David said:
    Option 3.
    Perhaps the cost to the distributor was far greater than the likely return given it was (apparently) a shockingly bad movie


    Interesting comment but why  then would Universal release it in New Zealand to a very smaller population with less potential box office prospects?
  • edited April 2016
    NZ-smaller population=smaller distribution costs?
    *and as David pointed out-fewer people to shock with such a bad movie?
  • NZ-smaller population=smaller distribution costs?
    *and as David pointed out-fewer people to shock with such a bad movie?

    NZ-smaller population - smaller distribution costs?   -------      A possibility perhaps.

    ''and as David pointed out-fewer people to shock with such a bad movie.  -------  King Kong V's Godzilla also made in the 1960s and of similar mediocrity eventually received a release in the 1970s so why didn'y they release King Kong Escapes?

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