"Hollywood won't budge for Chinese censors anymore. Here's what changed" 8 July 2022

Hollywood has long bent over backwards to give Chinese censors what they want. Not anymore.

Over the past year, producers behind some of the hottest US blockbusters have kept in scenes that could irk China's censors, apparently less concerned about the potential loss of access to theaters across the country of 1.4 billion people.As a result, some of the most anticipated movies released in recent months — including "Top Gun: Maverick," "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Lightyear" — have not, and may never, hit the world's second largest box office.

All films publicly screened in China need a permit from regulators. Censorship is rife, with authorities increasingly clamping down on what they perceive to be inappropriate, including in some cases the appearance of cleavage, tattoos or people smoking, as well as more obviously politically sensitive elements. [...]

Now, executives at the film's studio, Paramount (PGRE), no longer expect a mainland Chinese release, the Journal reported in May, citing anonymous sources.

The move was followed by another rebuff by Disney (DIS) and Pixar, which were reportedly asked by authorities in countries including China to remove a brief, same-sex kissing scene from their latest animated release, "Lightyear." China has long cracked down on depictions of homosexuality.

Disney declined to make the cut, its producer, Galyn Susman, told Reuters, adding that she believed the film would also not open in the country. The movie, which has Chris Evans voice the role of titular space ranger Buzz Lightyear, premiered elsewhere last month.

A person familiar with the matter said that Disney had submitted the film for release in mainland China, and was awaiting an official response. [...]

Sony and Disney did not respond to a request for comment, while Paramount declined to comment. China's film regulators did not respond to a request for comment. [...]