{"id":541728,"date":"2021-05-26T15:21:02","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T19:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=541728"},"modified":"2021-05-26T15:21:04","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T19:21:04","slug":"hollywood-has-a-china-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hollywood-has-a-china-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Hollywood Has A China Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhollywood-has-a-china-problem%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=541728&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1203220386.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>Over the weekend, Hollywood received news that had the industry cheering. \u201cF9,\u201d the latest entry in Universal\u2019s seemingly unsinkable \u201cFast and Furious\u201d franchise, put up massive box office numbers overseas. The film took in $163 million from just eight foreign markets, a weekend haul that was as strong as major international debuts in the pre-pandemic era and marked the biggest movie opening since the COVID-19 outbreak began. Understandably, the figure had the entertainment media humming, if not outright <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/film\/box-office\/f9-record-breaking-opening-weekend-international-box-office-1234979423\/\"><span>singing<\/span><\/a><span>, \u201cHappy days are here again.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There was just one problem. More than 80% of those earnings \u2014 $136 million \u2014 came from a single nation: China.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s ironic, given the source of COVID-19, that 2020 marked a troubling<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/movies\/movie-news\/its-official-2020-domestic-box-office-fell-80-percent-to-2-3b-behind-chinas-2-7b-4110745\/\"><span>milestone<\/span><\/a><span> for American movies. It was the first year in history they collectively made more money in China than at home. But even before the pandemic hit, the writing was on the wall.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pen.org\/report\/made-in-hollywood-censored-by-beijing\/\"><span>report<\/span><\/a><span> from the human rights organization, PEN, <\/span><span>in 2019 alone, three blockbusters <\/span><span>\u2014<\/span><span> \u201cAvengers: Endgame (Disney),\u201d \u201cSpider-Man: Far from Home (Columbia Pictures), and \u201cFast &amp; Furious Presents: Hobbs &amp; Shaw\u201d (Universal) <\/span><span>\u2014 earned more<\/span><span> in China than in the United States. \u201cThe size of the Chinese movie-going audience is so huge,\u201d one studio executive commented to PEN, \u201cthat if you happen to be the one that catches their fancy you can make $100 million in pure profit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Hollywood\u2019s increasing dependence on <\/span><i><span>renminbi \u2014 <\/span><\/i><span>China\u2019s currency \u2014 <\/span><span>to fill studio coffers explains why star John Cena was so quick to grovel to Beijing after he called Taiwan a country in an off-the-cuff remark while promoting \u201cF9\u201d overseas. As the Daily Wire<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/john-cena-apologizes-in-chinese-for-calling-taiwan-a-country-i-really-love-really-respect-china\"><span>reported<\/span><\/a><span>, Cena apologized at length in Mandarin on the website Sina Weibo, better known as \u201cChinese Twitter,\u201d saying:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"20\">\n<p><i><span>Hi China, I\u2019m John Cena. I\u2019m in the middle of Fast and Furious 9 promotions. I\u2019m doing a lot of interviews. I made a mistake in one of my interviews. Everyone was asking me if I could use Chinese \u2013 [movie] staff gave me a lot of information, so there was a lot of interviews and information.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>I made one mistake. I have to say something very, very, very important now. I love and respect China and Chinese people. I\u2019m very, very sorry about my mistake. I apologize, I apologize, I\u2019m very sorry. You must understand that I really love, really respect China and the Chinese people. My apologies. See you.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Universal\u2019s Cena dustup highlights the veritable landmine the entertainment industry faces as it struggles to make event films, well, <\/span><i><span>events<\/span><\/i><span> again. And no studio provides a starker cautionary tale right now than Disney.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Under the leadership of former CEO Bob Iger, the studio openly telegraphed its intention to stay in China\u2019s good graces regardless of the cost to its public image stateside. Iger, whom the Biden administration even considered for ambassadorship to Shanghai,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2019-10-23\/disney-s-iger-says-he-won-t-take-position-on-hong-kong-protests\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> in 2019 that when it comes to anything that might offend the CCP, \u201ccaution is imperative.\u201d Further outlining his approach to foreign policy, he added, \u201cTo take a position that could harm our company in some form would be a big mistake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>These marching orders seemed to hold after Bob Chapek took over the executive suite in February, 2020, as evidenced by the studio thanking Xinjiang authorities during \u201cMulan\u2019s\u201d credits despite their system of persecution against the region\u2019s Uyghur Muslim minority. Studios micromanage every aspect of film crediting and promotion, so there\u2019s no question Disney execs knew they would take heat for the move in the American media. They evidently calculated that the cost in bad press was worth the reward, and perhaps hoped that making a massive show of supporting domestic diversity and inclusion would take the edge off any tarnish to the company\u2019s reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But touting diversity at home has a way of creating conflicts elsewhere (just ask the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2015\/film\/news\/star-wars-china-poster-controversy-john-boyega-1201653494\/\"><span>black <\/span><\/a><span>or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/03\/26\/world\/asia\/bohemian-rhapsody-china-censored.html\"><span>LGBTQ <\/span><\/a><span>characters major studios have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/12\/25\/world\/asia\/star-wars-kiss-singapore.html\"><span>disappeared<\/span><\/a><span> before they hit foreign shores).&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Hollywood learned this lesson anew during the release of \u201cNomadland.\u201d As Disney was promoting director Chloe Zhao\u2019s Chinese identity and patting itself on the back for facilitating her work as the first Asian woman to win \u201cBest Director\u201d at the Academy Awards, Chinese state media was busy censoring her for a comment she made in a 2013 interview. Zhao called her birth-nation \u201ca place where there are lies everywhere.\u201d Disney had taken<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/movies\/movie-features\/hollywood-and-china-what-now-1234955332\/\"><span>pains<\/span><\/a><span> to suppress the story, but the internet is forever. Beijing caught wind and began scrubbing any mention of her win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As Oscar bait, \u201cNomadland\u2019s\u201d<\/span> <span>performance was never make-or-break for the Mouse House. Of course the studio wanted it to be profitable, but its real purpose was to confer prestige by winning big during awards season, which it did. In other circumstances, Zhao earning Beijing\u2019s ire might not have been a serious issue. Except that Disney had already tapped Zhao to direct a major tentpole in its efforts to move its behemoth Marvel franchise into the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now that push has come to shove, it appears the studio may be throwing its groundbreaking director under the bus. In the new \u201cEternals\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0WVDKZJkGlY\"><span>trailer<\/span><\/a><span> released Monday, Zhao\u2019s Oscar-minted name is nowhere to be found.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It would be hard to overestimate how much Marvel has riding on \u201cThe Eternals.\u201d It, and another \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/news\/marvel-cinematic-universe-phase-4-the-full-list-of-release-dates\/\"><span>Phase Four<\/span><\/a><span>\u201d film, \u201cShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,\u201d were designed to chart a new path <\/span><span>after the Captain America-Iron Man era, and anyone who thinks it\u2019s a coincidence that both include strong draws for Chinese audiences might want to look into Arizona beach property.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Marvel chief Kevin Feige revealed as much when he told <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/general-news\/awards-chatter-podcast-kevin-feige-avengers-endgame-1253678\/\"><span>The Hollywood Reporter<\/span><\/a><span> of \u201cEternals,\u201d \u201c<\/span><span>It is a very big movie. It is a very expensive movie. And we are making it because we believe in [Zhao\u2019s] vision and we believe in what those characters can do and we believe we need to continue to grow and evolve and change and push our genre forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Given their Chinese connections and the studio\u2019s past genuflection to the CCP, both \u201cEternals\u201d and \u201cShang-Chi\u201d should have been easy layups to enter the Chinese market. Instead, after the \u201cNomadland\u201d fracas, CCTV6 China Movie Channel did not include either movie in its recent reporting on Marvel release dates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/film\/news\/marvel-shang-chi-eternals-china-release-1234971166\/\"><span>Variety<\/span><\/a><span> noted, \u201cThe omission might seem small, but its significance lies in its provenance: the channel is under the jurisdiction of China\u2019s powerful propaganda department, which has the final word on film approvals.\u201d In other words, despite abasing itself for Xi Jinping\u2019s pleasure, Disney suddenly finds itself facing a great wall.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The CCP only approves a limited number of foreign films for release in the market, and Marvel needs China\u2019s dollars not just to make back the estimated $200 million it has already sunk into \u201cThe Eternals,\u201d but to ensure the MCU\u2019s profitability going forward. To make \u201cFast and Furious\u201d money, it has to pay Cena-like obeisance to the Chinese Communist Party, which may mean erasing its minority female director from overseas promotion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Or, to put it another way, as long as Hollywood wants China\u2019s money more than China wants Hollywood to entertain its public, we can expect our big stars to grovel like small men.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the weekend, Hollywood received news that had the industry cheering. \u201cF9,\u201d the latest entry in Universal\u2019s seemingly unsinkable \u201cFast and Furious\u201d franchise, put up massive box office numbers overseas. &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1888338,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-541728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1888338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}