‘Monster Hunter’ pulled from cinemas in China after ‘racist’ scene backlash
Written by laserteam on December 7, 2020
(CNN) – Hollywood fantasy action movie “Monster Hunter” has been pulled from theaters in China days after its release, following uproar on social media about a pun in the script that some viewers said was racist.
The film, written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and based on the popular video game series of the same name, premiered in China on December 4. The movie is distributed by Sony (SNE) worldwide and is scheduled for a Christmas Day release in the United States.
The controversial scene has been circulated online. It features Chinese-American actor Jin Au-Yeung — better known as MC Jin — as a soldier talking to a comrade as they drive across a desert. Jin points to his legs and says, “What kind of knees are these? Chinese.”
The controversial scene has been circulated online. It features Chinese-American actor Jin Au-Yeung — better known as MC Jin — as a soldier talking to a comrade as they drive across a desert. Jin points to his legs and says, “What kind of knees are these? Chinese.”
It isn’t clear exactly when the backlash began or who initiated it, but the reaction on Chinese social media quickly turned toxic. Some of the top comments on China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo accused the movie of “humiliating China” and “naked racism.” One user called on Jin to “apologize to the public.”
The backlash to “Monster Hunter” comes despite the movie being co-produced with Chinese company Tencent Films, part of the Tencent (TCEHY) tech group.
