More and more people are coming together to call for the boycott of Disney’s new live-action Mulan after lead actress Liu Yifei previously made controversial statements about the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand, social media users have banned together in a #BoycottMulan movement as Disney prepares to roll out “Mulan in theaters in select markets across Asia, The Hollywood Reporter reports. This all stems from comments Yifei made in support of Hong Kong’s police and government. “I support Hong Kong’s police; you can beat me up now.” In English, she added: “What a shame for Hong Kong.” Yifei made comments on the Chinese social media service Weibo. Her words immediately received backlash from the city’s pro-democracy activists, who have been fighting for their human rights and calling out police brutality, unlawful arrests, and torture, according to THR.
One of the most prominent voices to come forward and call for the ban is Hong Kong activist leader Joshua Wong. “Because Disney kowtows to Beijing, and because Liu Yifei openly and proudly endorses police brutality in Hong Kong, I urge everyone who believes in human rights to #BoycottMulan,” he wrote Friday on Twitter. He added that Yifei was “betraying” the values that Hollywood “purports to champion,” the outlet reports.
The city of Hong Kong has a population of 11 million, but the community has since formed an alliance with Thailand and Taiwan, which sparked the hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance, a reference to a drink that is popular amongst Southern China and Southeast Asia. Along with the hashtag, Thailand protestors have taken to the streets calling for a reform of the country’s monarchal society and government. Many protestors say Mulan and its lead actress symbolize the support of political violence as opposed to progressive ideologies.
Mulan cost $200 million to make and released exclusively on Disney+ this past weekend. While the lack of a theatrical rollout may cut down on what the film makes, some analysts say the movie will do well in mainland China.
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