Here's Why Netizens Are Trending #BoycottMulan On Social Media Ahead Of Liu Yifei Starrer's Release on March 27
The trend asking people to boycott the film began after the film's lead star Liu Yifei voiced her opinion on the Honk Kong protests and showed her support for Hong Kong police.
One of Disney's most awaited films has been the live-action remake, Mulan although, the film seems to be facing two major threats ahead of its release. While one has been the deadly coronavirus which is effectively going to hamper the film's box office massively given that China is at the centre of this pandemic with the most number of cases and it being a huge international market, the impact is going to be high. The other problem that the film has now landed itself into is the trend '#BoycottMulan' that has taken over social media. The trend asking people to boycott the film began after the film's lead star Liu Yifei voiced her opinion on the Honk Kong protests and showed her support for Hong Kong police. Mulan First Reactions Out! Critics Call the Live-Action Remake Sexy, Fantastic and Mature (Read Tweets).
In the past too, we have seen cases where political statements or stands made by celebrities have met with some extreme reactions online. In India too, films such as Chhapaak and Thappad were subjected to the 'boycott' trends owing to their lead star's political stance. In the case of actress Liu Yifei, the Chinese-born actress back in August 2019 spoke out in support of Hong Kong police amid the allegations of police brutality.
On Weibo (Chinese social media platform), the actress wrote, “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong." Calling out this statement, netizens have not got '#BoycottMulan' trending. For the uninitiated, the Hong Kong protests began last year as a reaction to the government proposed Fugitive Offenders amendment bill. The bill allowing extradition of criminal fugitives to mainland China met with a lot of backlash from Hong Kong citizens who considered this to be an early sign in the potential breaking of the region’s relative autonomy.
The Hong Kong protests were covered by the global media and videos of student protests where Hong Kong police allegedly deployed tear gas and rubber bullets were shared on social media as well. Netizens have been posting against the Mulan's lead due to her comments and a user wrote, "Sorry Disney. Skipping this one after the lead actress showed her support on the harassment of Hong Kong police. #BoycottMulan." Mulan Final Trailer: Liu Yifei's Warrior Gears Up for a Fight, the Antagonists Make an Appearance (Watch Video).
Another user mentioned, "#BoycottMulan because being human is more important than giving money to a corporation and nostalgia." Looks like Disney is going to have a hard time with this film given the increasing coronavirus scare across its major markets and now this. The film has been directed by Niki Caro and is all set to hit the screens on March 27.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 11, 2020 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).