Film "Mulan" on display in China, despite boycott calls and controversy
An employee of a Beijing cinema walks past posters for Disney's Mulan movie, September 11, 2020. REUTERS / Florence Lo
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3 min
Disney's mega-production Mulan hits theaters in China this Friday, September 11.
The film sparked calls for a boycott from Uighur and Hong Kong communities, as it was partly shot in Xinjiang province.
As a result, the censors asked Chinese media not to talk too much about the film.
But with his story considered feminist and patriotic, the spectators seem convinced.
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With our correspondent in Beijing
,
Stéphane Lagarde
"
You can buy food and drink,
" the opener discreetly confides in front of the packets of shrimp chips.
Some operators have decided to be flexible
with regard to sanitary measures
: no temperature control, no separate seats in this Beijing multiplex.
At the same time, only 11 people are in front of the screen.
“
It's the first time we've been to the movies in six months
,” says student Ju Wang.
We wanted to see Mulan and Liu Yifei's story, it's awesome
.
"
Gong Li and Liu Yifei, two actresses, two heroines on the bill, this is also what motivated this young thirty-something: "
It's a film that feels good, it gives us strength to us girls.
.
"
Epic battles against the backdrop of the heavenly mountains and arid sands of Xinjiang province, shot
near Uighur re-education camps, say critics of the film
.
The controversy abroad has reportedly prompted Chinese censors to downplay the exit media coverage.
This bank employee has heard neither
of the calls for boycotts
nor of censorship.
He came for the story of Hua Mulan gone to war in place of his old father: “
Mulan is a legend, but it tells the story of China.
And it's a patriotic movie, Mulan is fighting for the country
!
Obviously, Gong Li's magical powers and certain features of the story are exaggerated, but that's fine for the script.
"
A scenario not Chinese enough, according to some critics on the Douban platform where the film obtained a rating of 4.7 out of 10. The film, broadcast on 40% of Chinese screens, Friday September 11 still achieved 55% of pre-sales of all tickets for that day of Friday.
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