2046 US release date?

March 30, 2005 3:48 PM

When will Wong Kar-Wai's movie 2046 be released in the US?

IMDb doesn't list a US date. MonkeyPeaches doesn't list one either, but lists two official sites, both of which are down. The UK site mentions that it opened there on January 14.

Anyone have a clue about a.) if it's going to be released in the US, b.) when that might be, or c.) why it's taking so long? (It premiered at Cannes almost a year ago.)

posted by Vidiot to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

Best answer: 2046 just got picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, release date August 25th. As for what took it so long, well, beats me.
posted by eschatfische at 3:53 PM on March 30, 2005

Response by poster: Looks like it's actually the fifth, based on that link, but thanks for finding what I couldn't.

(and oooh! Looks like I will have to try to see it at the TriBeCa Film Festival...)
posted by Vidiot at 3:55 PM on March 30, 2005

Finally!
posted by kenko at 4:21 PM on March 30, 2005

How can the running time be TBD? Are they going to cut it?
posted by kenko at 4:22 PM on March 30, 2005

It hasn't been released in Canada yet either, but I was able to buy a legitimate copy in China Town on DVD. I'm also curious why it always takes so long for most Asian films to get a release (if ever) in North America.
posted by btwillig at 4:36 PM on March 30, 2005

It's on Netflix right now. I am filled with trepidation after all the production delays, rewrites, etc. But I'll still see it.
posted by Kafkaesque at 4:50 PM on March 30, 2005

Weird, we just talked about this film in my film class - we're watching Fa yeung nin wa next week. Talk about Diegogarcity.
posted by muddgirl at 5:00 PM on March 30, 2005

You can buy the DVD right now at Yes Asia! if you are so inclined. I have this version and it's excellent. Like btwilling, I picked up my copy in a Chinese mall in Toronto.
posted by chunking express at 5:25 PM on March 30, 2005

The Chinatown copy from Toronto I got has questionable subtitles. Almost all good, but a couple head-scratching moments. About par for the course though, and really it was all of $4, if that.
posted by SoftRain at 6:12 PM on March 30, 2005

i bought a copy from yes asia last december. good stuff.
posted by lotsofno at 5:39 AM on March 31, 2005

Wong Kar Wai does have a tendency to recut his films between various premieres. The original preview screening of 2046 at the BFI's WKW retrospective was cancelled because of this, eventually premiering at the London Film Festival a couple of months later. The very first showing in Cannes was also delayed by a couple of hours because they were still developing the film for the final cut.

I wouldn't bother, personally. It's a massive letdown. But then, all WKW films are compared to In The Mood For Love, and even if (like me) you don't rave and rant about cinema, you'd agree that someone only turns out a film like that once in a lifetime.
posted by Jongo at 9:32 AM on March 31, 2005

In The Mood For Love was good, but his best film is Days of Being Wild. Chungking Express is also quite good, and probably his most accessible movie. 2046 was quite good, visually stunning, and worth watching.
posted by chunking express at 11:03 AM on March 31, 2005