Local movie-buffs will have to be patient for Memoirs of a Geisha, the Hollywood adaptation of the eponymous novel, today's Shanghai Morning Post cited industry sources as saying.
French director Luc Besson's latest production Transport 2 is reportedly the replacement offering.
The cause of the cancellation is not yet known, while the film's distributor Columbia Pictures remained tight-lipped on the issue.
Quoted in the Shanghai Morning Post report, a Columbia Pictures' China spokesperson surnamed Zhang said his company had made a great deal of effort to enable the film to be aired on China's mainland, and is looking forward to a satisfactory outcome. But at this point, the company declined to disclose more details.
Memoirs of a Geisha, starring three famous Chinese actresses in Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh, was scheduled to hit Chinese screens on February 14, Valentine's Day. 
It tells the story of a Japanese girl, played by Zhang, who goes from working as a maid in a geisha house to becoming the legendary geisha Sayuri.