 The film was released on March 22 , 2013 , by Sony Pictures in India . In March 2013 , Django Unchained was announced to be the first Tarantino film approved for official distribution in China 's strictly controlled film market . Lily Kuo , writing for Quartz , wrote that " the film depicts one of America 's darker periods , when slavery was legal , which Chinese officials like to use to push back against criticism from the United States . " The film was released in China on May 12 , 2013 . 
