Thursday was supposed to mark the first ever showing of a Tarantino film in Chinese theaters. The fact that the politically controversial "Django" had been approved for official distribution in China's tightly controlled film market was seen by some as a sign that the country's regulators could be taking a more open approach to foreign films.

It wasn't immediately clear Thursday afternoon what "technical" problems led to "Django" being pulled, though some were speculating online that it may have...