[Epoch Times December 21, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Li Yan comprehensive report) In 2021, China’s economic gains are accused of shrinking. Some commented that Hollywood has been unable to trade “tolerance” for the Chinese market.
The Hollywood Reporter said that despite attempts to pass the CCP’s censorship, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (Space Jam: A New Legacy) finally failed to be released in China this summer.
In 2014, in order to attract the strong Chinese market, Warner Bros. recruited LeBron James to star in “Slam Dunk 2: A New Legend.” After all, James is a huge selling point for Chinese who love basketball, and the Nike sneakers signed by him are produced there.
“Slam Dunk 2: A New Legend” finally earned only $162.8 million in box office revenue worldwide. Even taking into account the impact of the coronavirus (Chinese Communist Party virus) pandemic, this number is pretty average.
However, “Slam Dunk 2: A New Legend” is not alone. The Disney Marvel movies “Shang-Chi and Legend of the Ten Rings” (Shang-Chi and Legend of the Ten Rings) and “The Eternals” also received cold reception. Although there are many industry professionals who are familiar with mainland audiences who have directed and starred in these two films, they are of no avail. Neither of these films was released in China, where human rights issues have received constant attention.
As more and more industries and entities begin to resist the CCP, Hollywood’s practice of keeping silent on the CCP’s various human rights abuses is quite abrupt. However, the fact is that 2021, when China’s economic gains continue to shrink, may mark that Hollywood’s Chinese love has finally cooled down.
Hollywood can no longer trade “tolerance” for the Chinese market
In the past year, the fate of Hollywood blockbusters in China has begun to reverse at an accelerated pace. In 2021, only 25 American films will be shown in China, many of which are small independent films rather than huge productions by film companies. In comparison, about 45 Hollywood movies were shown on Chinese screens in 2019. Large film companies have been forced to adjust their market plans in China because there is hardly any growth at all.
Although the CCP claims to have succeeded in keeping COVID-19 (a disease caused by the CCP virus) cases close to zero, the cinema movie market is far from recovering. As of December 13, China’s total box office revenue in 2021 was US$7.05 billion, a decrease of 26.2% from US$9.56 billion in the same period in 2019.
The report said that US-China diplomatic relations have deteriorated so much that it is no longer important how “tolerant” Hollywood is in the market-Xi Jinping may work to reduce the space for allowing Western cultural content to gain a foothold in the next stage.
In the past, whenever movie theaters needed a promotion, regulators would use Hollywood blockbusters as their signatures, so that the number of Hollywood blockbusters that could be released in China even exceeded the 34 allowed by the trade agreement. However, this year has gone for good. On the contrary, valuable Hollywood works have been shelved for political reasons or for no reason. Including “Black Widow” (Black Widow), “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and so on.
Spider-Man: No Way Home, which now sets the second box office record, may also be one of them.
Hollywood is further accused of losing its moral high ground
The report pointed out that as Hollywood has repeatedly shown tolerance to the CCP’s human rights abuses, its image of a moral high ground no longer exists. When global superstar Fan Bingbing (including her agency CAA) disappeared in 2018, the entire industry remained silent, and few people even knew about it.
In contrast, after a similar disappearance happened to tennis star Peng Shuai, the Women’s Tennis Association decided this month to cancel all competitions in China. People worry that the Chinese doubles champion accused former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault and may be censored or even lose his freedom.
Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom (Enes Kanter Freedom) is one of the industry figures who shouted for Peng Shuai. He also accused James of turning a blind eye to the CCP’s persecution of Muslims.
Along the way, James, a future Hall of Fame member, has always been careful not to poke the CCP’s sore spots. In 2019, he even criticized the Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey for supporting on Twitter. Protesters in Hong Kong called him “not well informed.”
At that time, videos of police violently suppressing the Hong Kong democracy movement were widely circulated on the Internet, and there were reports that more than one million Uyghur Muslims were being held in concentration camps in Xinjiang.
On December 14, Kanter appeared on MSNBC wearing a T-shirt that read “Taiwan is not China.” ——The Celtics have been banned by the CCP.
The report concluded by saying that because the United States plans to conduct a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, this may escalate the Chinese market’s hostility towards American culture. The question now is whether Hollywood will continue to kowtow without financial benefit.
Editor in charge: Li Yuan#
.
