‘Dark Knight’ is blacked out in China

The Hollywood blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” which sees Batman venturing to Hong Kong to capture a Chinese criminal, won’t be getting an official release in China.

Warner Bros. said in a statement Tuesday that it has decided not to release the film in China because of “pre-release conditions” and “cultural sensitivities to some elements of the film.” A spokeswoman for the Hollywood studio declined to elaborate.

Warner Bros. officials may have been concerned that the film, particularly scenes shot in Hong Kong, would offend censors wary of the way the Chinese are portrayed on screen.

Bootleg copies of “The Dark Knight” have been available in Chinese markets for months.