logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Has Hollywood edited films to appease the Chinese government?

By Christopher Hutton
YES

Hollywood film studios, eager to grow box office revenues and attract new capital, has frequently deferred to unofficial Chinese cultural and political sensitivities, as well as to the country's official censorship. In some cases, content has been cropped (such as Kate Winslet's breasts in "Titanic"), muffled (such as mentions of Russia during "Iron Man 2") or edited out altogether (such as 38 minutes of sexual content in "Cloud Atlas").

Edits have also included mentions of Tibet or Taiwan, villainous portrayals of the Chinese government and even images that have been used in anti-Chinese propaganda. The 2018 release of a Disney Winnie the Pooh film, "Christopher Robin," was banned from China, presumably because of the bear's frequent appearances in Chinese social media as a stand-in for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
facebook
twitter
email
email