Ringer Spy PT sends along more news regarding a possible Asian release date change. All this is still a speculative rumor, so who knows. Especially considering this bit of news from IMDB. But check out what PT has to say none the less:
I heard the Asian Rumour from a distributor. I rang him again to see if he could shed any more light on the subject. He said the Asian release is subject to some strict laws in an attempt to prohibit the pirate film industry. Apperently 20th Century Fox has alos issued statements that since the release of “Planet of the Apes” – several versions have appeared on the internet all with Japanese sub-titles, as a result the Japanese distributers for 20th Century Fox will not receive their movies until after the world wide release dates. So it sounds like LOTR is not the only film that will NOT go to Japan on time. He also said there are comprimises and contracts to settle the dispute. Apparently the problem is not the release date but rather cinemas allowing paying individuals to view the films in private before the actual date allowing them to film it and release it before the actual release… Plus no rules on what you can take into the cinema itself…