Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Projected to Bomb Amid Boycott Against Liu Yifei
The next live-action flick from Disney is “Mulan,” which is based on the Chinese narrative poem, “The Ballad of Mulan.” Adapted in 1998 as the animation film, the re-adapted movie has been marred by boycott protest amid its star Liu Yifei’s support for the Hong Kong police against political protestors.
The boycott against “Mulan,” which is set for release at the end of March worldwide, might lead the film to bomb at the box office. According to Collider, a recent TV spot promoting the film received a lot of downvotes on Youtube, which might be a problem for Disney.
Last year, Liu reposted a message from the People’s Daily, a state-backed newspaper. The message was “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now,” which Chinese reporter Fu Guohao shared while he was being attacked by protestors at the Hong Kong airport.
Fu’s words became the battle cry for many Chinese government supporters who believe that the protestors are violent and out of the line. Liu also said that she supports the police and received an outpouring of positive reactions on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
However, Lui’s post also had some backlash among Disney fans across the world who called for a boycott of “Mulan.” One Tweeter user said of Liu, “She could be a powerful voice for justice but instead, she supports this brutality.”
“Mulan” also stars Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan, Donnie Yen as Commander Tung Yoson An as Cheng Honghui, Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor.
The synopsis from Disney:
“When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation…and a proud father.”
