Poster for Ip Man 4 Photo: Maoyan

On Monday, entertainment news outlet Sina Film reported that the last film in the well-received Ip Man series, Ip Man 4: The Finale, would be delayed from Friday to January 1, 2020, stirring online discussions about the possible reasons behind the delay. However, on Tuesday the official account of the film on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo put fears to rest by reconfirming the film will be hitting mainland theaters on Friday. 

In the series, Ip Man, the real life Wing Chun master, is played by 56-year-old Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen. Known for his martial arts skills, the star told media that Ip Man 4 will be his last kung fu film at a press conference for the film held in Beijing in November.

Directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Wilson Yip, the final film follows Ip as he fights against racism in the US after his arrival during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. It also zooms in on Ip's relationship with his most famous student, Bruce Lee, played by Hong Kong actor Danny Chan. 

"I haven't watched it, so I won't comment on that... But I hope this film can show Bruce Lee for who he truly was and his positive energy," said Yen, when answering a question about Lee's controversial depiction in Quentin Tarantino's recent film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

With big names such as British martial arts star Scott Adkins and former US boxer Mike Tyson joining the film, it has been highly anticipated by fans around the world. 

After Sina Film reported that the film would be delayed, it sparked huge discussion and rampant speculation on social media. Some fans expressed dismay at the news since they had already booked their tickets, while others speculated that the delay was due to the significant competition from other films also set for December. Notably, many netizens linked the delay to the release of Chinese military film The Eight Hundred. 

The anticipation for this Chinese war epic probably equals that for Ip Man 4. 

Initially scheduled for release on July 5 in the Chinese mainland, The Eight Hundred was set to be the opening film at the 2019 Shanghai International Film Festival in June but was canceled at the last minute due to "technical reasons." Then on June 25, the film's official account on Sina Weibo announced that the films cinema release was being delayed. While there have been rumors flying about online that the film will be released on Friday, no official release date has been announced as of yet. 

As speculation ran rampant, a new poster for Ip Man 4 with a release date reading "December 20" was released on the film's official social media account on Sina Weibo on Tuesday morning, to the relief of many fans. 

Later on Tuesday, Yen reposted the poster and reconfirmed the release date. 

"Do not forget your original aspirations. When you believe something is right, you must do it," Yen wrote in the post.