Feng Xiaogang 'disappears' from Jia Zhangke's latest film

The cuts caught attention of Cui Yongyuan, the former TV anchor who has launched an online "battle" against Feng and his new film Cell Phone 2.

Cui used his Twitter-like Sina Weibo to call the cuts fair.

Meanwhile, Cui's reports of suspected tax evasion and cheating in the showbiz industry have caused ripples in China's film and television industries. And some speculate that the Feng cuts are probably related to Cui's reports.

Ash is Purest White grossed nearly 1 million yuan ($146,000 in ticket sales on Friday, earning the second spot on that day's box office charts.

Although as a favorite at international film festivals, Jia has often seen his arthouse films perform poorly at the domestic box office.

To date, Jia's most commercially successful film is Mountains May Depart, which brought in 32 million yuan in 2015.