After enduring mixed reactions to the film's first trailer, Disney is facing even more trouble with regard to their live-action adaptation of MULAN. Recently the film's star, Liu Yifei, voiced her support for the Hong Kong police amid raging protests, prompting many to call for a boycott of Disney's upcoming film.
Yifei posted her support of the Hong Kong police via the Chinese social media platform Weibo, which is essentially China's version of Twitter. In her post, Yifei said "I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong."
While China does not allow for the use of Twitter, some who live there still find ways of accessing the social media platform through various means. Since hitting the Twittersphere, the #BoycottMulan hastag has amassed over 57 thousand tweets in the United States of America. While Yifei is entitled to support whomever she chooses, many of her fans have expressed outrage at the thought of her backing the Hong Kong Police. One Twitter user by the name of @BSquidboi tweeted their frustration by posting the following message: "Liu Yifei, who will be playing Mulan herself, has shown support towards the police in Hong Kong who are currently beating down peaceful protesters, she is the goddaughter of one of the richest buisnessmen in mainland China. She is an enemy of freedom."
The source of the on-going protests stems from a now-suspended extradition bill, which has paved the way for further divides within the region. Many who are fighting Hong Kong law enforcement believe that city leader Carrie Lam is partially to blame and should concede her position of power.
Directed by WHALE RIDER and THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE helmer Niki Caro, MULAN tells the inspiring story of a young Chinese maiden who disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
As part of a progressive play, Disney has cast a number of Asian actors to lead the film, with A-list stars like Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Yifei Liu set to bring Disney's tale of identity, expectations, and defiance to life on the big screen. Co-starring in the film based on Disney's 1998 animated classic are Li Gong, Jason Lee Scott, Rosalind Chao, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Tzi Ma, Ron Yuan, Yoson An, Doua Moua, Jimmy Wong, Chen Tang, and Roger Yuan, among others.
If and how much the on-going protests will affect the box office earnings of MULAN has yet to be determined. The film doesn't open in North American theaters until March 27, 2020, by which time the protests will hopefully have reached their conclusion. That being said, the internet is a lot like an elephant, it never forgets. It could very well be that MULAN fans will recall Yifei's support of the Hong Kong police come game time, and decide to skip the film altogether. We'll just have to wait and see.