China’s Outrageous Double Standard
By David Outten, Contributing Writer
For some time, America’s major studios have seen China as a box office gold mine, but the gold rush is diminishing. What’s growing is a double standard of monumental proportions few Americans comprehend. The Chinese box office gold mine is still rich with opportunity for Chinese filmmakers even as it shrinks for American filmmakers.
With a population four times that of the United States, Chinese box office is now larger than American box office, due in part to Covid-19, which appears to have been a Chinese export to the United States.
In 2019, before Covid-19 demolished U.S. box office, AVENGERS: END GAME made $858 million in the United States. It made $629 million in China, but was one of only two American-made movies in China’s Top 10. In 2012, all 10 of China’s Top 10 movies were American made.
America’s major studios still want some portion of the Chinese market and have bent over backward to please China. John Cena, one of the stars of F9, made a seemingly innocuous remark about Taiwan being the first “country” to get F9.
According to the Chinese Communist Party: “Thou shalt not refer to Taiwan as a country.”
Cena found himself recording a groveling, humiliating apology to the people of China.
Speaking in Chinese, he said, “Hello China. I’m John Cena. I have to say right now for F9 I had many, many interviews. In one of them I made a mistake. Everyone asked me if I can use Chinese. People at F9 gave me lots of interview information. I made a mistake. it’s so, so, so, so, so, important, I love and respect China and the Chinese people. I’m so, so sorry for my mistake. You have to understand I love and respect China and the Chinese people. I’m sorry.”
This is where the double standard gets obscene. The highest-grossing movie in Chinese box office history is 2021’s THE BATTLE OF LAKE CHANGJIN. It presents American forces in the Korean War as horrifying villains defeated by brave and noble Communist Chinese forces. The second highest-grossing film in China’s history is 2017’s WOLF WARRIOR 2. It’s the story of a Chinese Communist special forces soldier defending the world from wicked American Capitalist thugs.
In 1962, United Artists released a Frank Sinatra movie called THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE about a Korean War American soldier captured by the Communists and brainwashed in China. Upon his release and return to the United States, he could be triggered by the Communists as an assassin. The movie was remade in 2004 with Denzel Washington but the brainwashing was done by greedy Capitalists rather than Communists.
America’s major studios helped build a massive movie market in China now being used by the Communist party to make America and Americans look horrible so that the Chinese people will learn to hate the USA.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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