Apparently, Winnie the Pooh is not welcome in China.
While the country has been growing into a major box office powerhouse, China still has some interesting rules for choosing which Western films make its way into cinemas. So far this year, the country has shown “Avengers: Infinity War,” multiple movies from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and even “A Quiet Place,” among almost every other US blockbuster. But for Disney’s “Christopher Robin,” China is not in the cards.
According to THR, the main reason why China will not allow Pooh and his friends is because of the government cracking down on all things Winnie the Pooh. You see, some political enemies of the Communist regime in China have used Pooh as the symbol for Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Not saying that’s accurate but if you hold pictures of the two side-by-side, perhaps you can see why.
“Christopher Robin” isn’t the first time China has blocked Pooh imagery. As far back as a year ago, authorities began blocking images of the beloved children’s character on social media. The Pooh controversy has gotten so bad that China actually blocked HBO after “Last Week Tonight” featured a segment about how Xi Jinping and Pooh have been linked.
Of course, not showing in China doesn’t spell doom for Disney’s upcoming film. “Christopher Robin” is expected to do incredibly well in the US this weekend and will no doubt bring home plenty of money all across the world. Just none of it will come from China.
For comparison’s sake, China has been very good to Disney’s live-action films in the past, with “Maleficent” and “Cinderella” all doing well, earning $48 million and $72 million, respectively.
For those not in China, “Christopher Robin” begins hitting theaters today.
And for more on the controversy, here’s the aforementioned “Last Week Tonight” clip:
