How do you solve a problem like Mulan?
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New York — It was supposed to be another $1bn blockbuster for Walt Disney — a live-action remake of a 1998 animated hit featuring an all-star Asian cast, breathtaking cinematography and plenty of martial arts.
Instead, the new Mulan is proving to be a political hot potato, reflecting the US’s fraying ties with China, and the choices companies face when operating in the highly politicised, but lucrative environment that is modern-day China.
The $200m film, which was made available for purchase online in the US and Europe last week and is set to open in China on Friday, has seen a string of controversies — all while the coronavirus knocked out its chances of getting a successful run in theatres.
An online boycott that began in 2019, when one of the stars spoke in support of the crackdown on anti-China protesters in Hong Kong, has continued. Now, Disney is facing heat for filming in a part of China where the government has detained as many as 1-million ethnic Uighurs in camps called “voluntary education centres”, then thanking that region’s authorities in the movie’s credits.
Disney is the latest US business to be embroiled in a political controversy involving China. Last year, the National Basketball Association was plunged into turmoil after a team manager tweeted in support of the Hong Kong demonstrators, triggering a backlash and a blackout of games in China. DreamWorks Animation’s movie Abominable stirred up a storm in Asia after the film featured a map reflecting China’s maritime claims disputed by its neighbours.
‘Addicted to China’
Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, slammed Disney on Twitter on Tuesday, saying the entertainment giant is “addicted to Chinese cash and will do just about anything to please the Communist Party”.
Disney has a lot at stake in China. The company spent $5.5bn developing its Shanghai Disneyland resort and has been expanding its smaller park in Hong Kong. The movie market there is also on track to become the world’s largest. But with both Republicans and Democrats focusing on China trade and cultural issues in the run-up to the US presidential election, the company could continue to find itself in the political crossfire.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re called before Congress,” said Stanley Rosen, a political-science professor and specialist on China at the University of Southern California.
High hopes
It certainly didn’t begin this way when Disney started work ...
Instead, the new Mulan is proving to be a political hot potato, reflecting the US’s fraying ties with China, and the choices companies face when operating in the highly politicised, but lucrative environment that is modern-day China.
The $200m film, which was made available for purchase online in the US and Europe last week and is set to open in China on Friday, has seen a string of controversies — all while the coronavirus knocked out its chances of getting a successful run in theatres.
An online boycott that began in 2019, when one of the stars spoke in support of the crackdown on anti-China protesters in Hong Kong, has continued. Now, Disney is facing heat for filming in a part of China where the government has detained as many as 1-million ethnic Uighurs in camps called “voluntary education centres”, then thanking that region’s authorities in the movie’s credits.
Disney is the latest US business to be embroiled in a political controversy involving China. Last year, the National Basketball Association was plunged into turmoil after a team manager tweeted in support of the Hong Kong demonstrators, triggering a backlash and a blackout of games in China. DreamWorks Animation’s movie Abominable stirred up a storm in Asia after the film featured a map reflecting China’s maritime claims disputed by its neighbours.
‘Addicted to China’
Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, slammed Disney on Twitter on Tuesday, saying the entertainment giant is “addicted to Chinese cash and will do just about anything to please the Communist Party”.
Disney has a lot at stake in China. The company spent $5.5bn developing its Shanghai Disneyland resort and has been expanding its smaller park in Hong Kong. The movie market there is also on track to become the world’s largest. But with both Republicans and Democrats focusing on China trade and cultural issues in the run-up to the US presidential election, the company could continue to find itself in the political crossfire.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re called before Congress,” said Stanley Rosen, a political-science professor and specialist on China at the University of Southern California.
High hopes
It certainly didn’t begin this way when Disney started work ...