Hollywood no longer complies with Chinese censors. Here are the changes.
Hollywood has long gone above and beyond to satisfy Chinese censors. no longer.
Producers of some of the hottest US blockbusters over the past year have kept in scenes that would irritate China's censors,
seemingly less concerned about the possibility of losing access to theatres around the nation of 1.4 billion people.
Because of this, some of the most eagerly awaited films to be released recently, such as "Top Gun: Maverick," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and "Lightyear,"
have not yet and may never reach the second-largest box office in the world.
In China, authorities must approve each public screening of a film. Censorship is rampant, with authorities progressively cracking down on content they deem offensive,
including in certain cases the display of cleavage, tattoos, individuals smoking, and more overtly political content.
Consider the brand-new "Top Gun" sequel, which is currently the year's top film. According to the Wall Street Journal,
a Chinese supporter reportedly pushed producers to remove Taiwan's flag from a 2019 trailer for the film.
Later, once Tencent (TCEHY), the investor, purportedly withdrew, the insignia was restored to Tom Cruise's renowned bomber jacket.
An unidentified source told the Journal in May that officials at the movie's studio, Paramount (PGRE), no longer anticipate a release in mainland China.