Chinese Communist Party authorities asked Sony to delete the Statue of Liberty from "Spider-Man: No Way Home" to permit release in China. Sony quickly refused, and after considering a Chinese counter-offer to reduce and obscure its presence, the film producer decided to forgo the release of the film in China rather than agree to the terms of the country.
Their refusal prompted a tweet from Fox News Host Tammy Bruce, hitting on a trend of Hollywood self-censorship in exchange for access to the Chinese market.
"In this case, they were rebuffed so (the) film was not released in China. But what else does the disgusting & genocidal Chinese Communist Party ask for and receive from Hollywood?" Bruce wrote in her tweet.
In this case, Sony bucked the Hollywood trend of Chinese appeasement, however, this is not the norm. When “Top Gun: Maverick” was released, Chinese investors complained about the Taiwan flag being on the jacket of character Pete Mitchell, a U.S. Navy aviator. To ensure that feathers were not further ruffled, makers removed not only the Taiwan flag but also the Japanese, reflecting a movement towards self-censorship in anticipation of backlash.
“Before the idea of a movie is even conceived, the first thing they need to think is, ‘How can I make sure that this movie can be shown in China?'" Yaqui Wang, a senior researcher on China at Human Rights Watch told the New York Times.
This comes as recent Marvel movies have not been released in China, and there is some speculation that the financial benefit of reworking and releasing an edited film has decreased to the point where it is negligible. The uncertainty surrounding whether edits will satisfy the CCP adds additional uncertainty to the already difficult process.
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger, on the topic of working with China, added to comments stating that while they may try not to compromise values when working with countries like China, “there are compromises that companies have to make to be global.”