| Movie-goers have been flocking back to theaters all over the world to see “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise classic about U.S. fighter pilots. Worldwide, it sold $250 million in tickets over its opening weekend.
Not only is “Maverick” a pro-American film, but its makers also defy the Hollywood convention of kowtowing to China’s authoritarian regime in order to win the vast Chinese market. Back in 2019, the film’s early trailer promo came under criticism when fans pointed out that the iconic leather flight jacket worn by Cruise’s character in the original film had been altered. All of the patches from the original film were there except for flags representing Chinese adversaries Japan and the Republic of China (Taiwan). Those flags were missing, replaced by random symbols presumably to placate Chairman Mao, er, President Xi. Any hint of criticizing China was also problematic because the Chinese internet and tech giant Tencent was co-financing the sequel. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas lamented at the time that “Hollywood is afraid to stand up for free speech and is enabling the Communist Party’s campaign against Taiwan.” But Tencent eventually gave up its 12.5% stake in the film in late 2019 as it realized that even a satiated tribute to U.S. military power would anger their Chinese overlords. Red State reports the rest of the story: To the joy of Taiwanese audiences, the film feaures a prominent shot of the Japanese and Taiwanese flags—national symbols that were scrubbed from a 2019 trailer.” The defiance could cost big bucks to the film’s backers. “Maverick” may not be allowed a release date in China, the world’s biggest movie box office market. But in the rest of the world, Top Gun looks to be the biggest blockbuster hit in many years. Congrats to the “Maverick” filmmakers. And let’s hope that the rest of “woke” Hollywood learns a lesson here: Patriotism sells.
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