Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

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  • Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

    I've been reading about the #boycottMulan and I'm curious what everyone thinks about whether Disney had any clue that this kind of backlash would occur? I mean, don't they pay someone big bucks to foresee this?

    Filming in an Xinyiang province accused of internment camps where they "re-educate" Muslims and sterilize them against their wills as a way to control Muslim population?

    Thanking the Xinyiang government agencies who have been accused for the above atrocities in the credits. And the star seemingly condoning Hong Kong Police violence? In the wee hours of the morning, I thought I heard someone on the news saying that China is now such a huge market that Hollywood might have to choose between which market to make a film for-- either China OR the US.

    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...jiang-province

    Care to share your thoughts?
    "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

  • #2
    Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

    Honestly, I'm stunned that no one had any sort of common sense. That there wasn't SOMEONE there to say, hey, let's not use land where atrocities are occurring, let's not thank people who are basically enslaving an entire people because of their religion.

    It's truly stunning.

    And couldn't they make the actress sign some sort of legal paperwork that she has to at least stfu and stay off social media instead of voicing her oppressive views?

    You can search the world for the right actress, but you can't make her shut up as part of her contract? Like a morality clause, but for common sense?

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    • #3
      Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

      I suspect the studio added "Dear Leader" thanks because they had to -- groveling written into contracts. China's government controls the economy and decides which films are allowed to be shown in country.

      Hollywood's ROI tunnel-vision, along with other industries that see China as a huge market while ignoring geo-political factors, is going to come back to bite at some point.
      Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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      • #4
        Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

        No doubt (probably got a sweet discount)

        Most people (families who watch Disney movies) will ignore the boycott.

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        • #5
          Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

          Interesting WSJ article on the Mulan story. Disney courting China:

          Disney's broader effort to court Chinese consumers, drawing them to its stores and theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

          https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-dis...na-11599050642
          Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

            The problem is that people are hypocrites and not rational. The people boycotting will be using some sort of product at least partially made in China every day so how to know what and when will be boycotted. Oil from countries with similarly questionable human rights are also used every day but no one bothers boycotting.

            The region of China is irrelevant given the decisions on the internment camps are all made centrally.

            If Coronavirus hasn't convinced Governments across the world to have less reliance on China (and it hasn't) then its difficult to see how things will ever change given their enormous and growing economic power.

            This is not to say what Disney done was right but more to say why they would go ahead with it anyway.

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            • #7
              Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

              That's not the problem. The problem is will enough western world countries stand in unison to boycott Disney's choice. Disney Studios is a business. They will reconsider their choices if they lose enough money.

              This is about knowingly giving your money in direct support of government agencies accused of human rights violations. As a consumer you can absolutely control a company's actions with your dollar. That's how we use our power to approve (give) or condemn (with hold) a company's choices.

              Disney capitalizes on both major markets: China and the United States.

              If American consumers refuse to pay to watch Mulan, Disney will have to reconsider how they go to market with films in the future.

              I'm surprised no one thought to have a different credit sequence for each country. I suppose China might have required their "thank yous" be seen in both versions. Who knows?
              "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

                Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
                That's not the problem. The problem is will enough western world countries stand in unison to boycott Disney's choice. Disney Studios is a business. They will reconsider their choices if they lose enough money.

                This is about knowingly giving your money in direct support of government agencies accused of human rights violations. As a consumer you can absolutely control a company's actions with your dollar. That's how we use our power to approve (give) or condemn (with hold) a company's choices.

                Disney capitalizes on both major markets: China and the United States.

                If American consumers refuse to pay to watch Mulan, Disney will have to reconsider how they go to market with films in the future.

                I'm surprised no one thought to have a different credit sequence for each country. I suppose China might have required their "thank yous" be seen in both versions. Who knows?
                In general, I agree with the idea of "Vote with our wallets."

                However, the population of China is 1.3 billion while the US population is less than 330-million.

                Which market do you think has more wallet power?

                The summer of 2019 showed that, even when domestic box office dipped, overseas profits on Disney/Marvel movies more than made up for it.

                If you read the WSJ article I linked above, it appears this film was made primarily for the Chinese market, not the American market.

                The studios have been catering to the China market for quite some time seemingly unconcerned about erosion of the domestic market.

                Which boggles my mind as a business decision.

                China has had a growing problem with a shortage of drinkable water over the last several years thanks to pollution run amok.

                Global warming issues has caused the Himalayan ice caps to melt and cause flooding which in turn have started a recent food shortage on top of COVID-19 problems (I don't believe any COVID numbers coming out of China -- the government owns the press).

                Yet, along with the film industry, US corps keep pouring money into the China market.

                What happens when the Chinese run out of water and food? Are they really going to watch US movies?
                Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

                  Originally posted by sc111 View Post
                  In general, I agree with the idea of "Vote with our wallets."

                  However, the population of China is 1.3 billion while the US population is less than 330-million.

                  Which market do you think has more wallet power?
                  Yeah, that was kinda my point. They will become two different markets. Not saying they will chose the US market first. The censorship required for the Chinese market won't fly with the US market. The domestic market isn't easy to walk away from completely. And there are films that do better domestically that don't do as well internationally. If Hollywood can't keep up with the Chinese film industry it will most likely eclipse Hollywood. Maybe that's just the way the ball bounces.

                  It's all about adaptation to the changing global market. It's not just about us anymore.
                  The summer of 2019 showed that, even when domestic box office dipped, overseas profits on Disney/Marvel movies more than made up for it.

                  If you read the WSJ article I linked above, it appears this film was made primarily for the Chinese market, not the American market.
                  You can't actually read the WSJ article unless you sign up for a subscription or are willing to give up all your contacts. So, unfortunately, I won't be reading that specific article. Unless you know of another way to access it?

                  The studios have been catering to the China market for quite some time seemingly unconcerned about erosion of the domestic market.

                  Which boggles my mind as a business decision.
                  International is a huge market. They're in business to make money. And they're making it hand over fist in a lot of cases. I'm not sure they could pay for the marketing without the international market.
                  China has had a growing problem with a shortage of drinkable water over the last several years thanks to pollution run amok.
                  The entire world has this problem. We have areas with drinkable water problems as well. Remember Flint, MI? If their river wasn't so polluted in the first place they wouldn't have been poisoning people when they switched the water source. Have you ever watched the documentary Water Wars? That's the future. It's a good documentary.

                  We did a lot of damage for along time-- we're as guilty as China. They just want what we've had for a long long time. Unfortunately, their population is so massive that it can't be sustained.
                  Global warming issues has caused the Himalayan ice caps to melt and cause flooding which in turn have started a recent food shortage on top of COVID-19 problems (I don't believe any COVID numbers coming out of China -- the government owns the press).
                  There are a lot of things causing food shortages, one is the fact that the world cannot support the sheer number of people on the planet. We've outgrown our recourses. Drought, pollution, population, rising water, poverty, melting ice... on and on it goes.

                  We're doomed.
                  Yet, along with the film industry, US corps keep pouring money into the China market. Unless there's another way to read the article?
                  If I'm not mistaken, China is heavily invested in American corporations. That's a result of having an open and free market, people with money can buy controlling interest-- their money is as good as anyone else's.

                  What happens when the Chinese run out of water and food? Are they really going to watch US movies?
                  I guess they might try to do what the British did-- recolonize the world and take what they want?

                  In the past, China consumed our films because their industry was underdeveloped. That's not so much the case anymore. They're making their own films. Their own stories.

                  2019 Box Office D=Domestic, I=International

                  #12 Ne Zha D= $3,695,533 0.5% I= $722,367,938 99.5%
                  #13 The Wandering Earth D= $5,971,413 0.9% I= $693,885,286 99.1%
                  #17 My People, My Country D= $2,356,683 0.5% I =$447,708,310 99.5%
                  #20 The Captain $706,572 0.2% $416,246,690 99.8%

                  Take a peek at the 2019 box office results. You'll see that films that are distinctly American do not always do well internationally. I'll bet they don't have "development hell." I wonder how many films would still do well if they weren't developed to death.

                  https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2019/

                  WE appear to be the shrinking market and if American film makers want to make films that translate to the international market they're going to need to follow the money.
                  "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Mulan: Did Disney Foresee The Backlash?

                    FA4:

                    I agree with your points. However, I've been keeping tabs on China for quite some time. The air and water pollution in the areas around factories is off the charts (US looks clean by comparison). They pimp out far more Co2 than the US does (and we're bad) that hangs over their cities. The potable water and food shortages are growing. And their economy is not as sound as China allows the public to know.

                    From a 2019 article, pre-COVID:

                    The western view of China’s political economy is driven partly by anecdote, partly by accepting Beijing’s propaganda/economic data as fact. Foreign investors have convinced themselves that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is superior in terms of economic management, this despite ample evidence to the contrary, thus accepting the official view is easy but also increasingly risky.

                    In a December 15 speech, Renmin University’s Xiang Songzuo warned that Chinese stock market conditions resemble those during the 1929 Wall Street Crash. He also suggested that the Chinese economy is actually shrinking. But this apostate view was quickly rejected by legions of captive western economists and investment analysts whose livelihood depends upon “selling China” to credulous foreign audiences.

                    Facts aside, the perception of China is what matters to global investors, part of a larger pathology of hope-based investment allocation that eschews those rare bits of hard data that disagree with the positive narrative. China growth, Tesla profitability, or the mystical blockchain all require more credulity than ever before.

                    ... Today western audiences are again said to be concerned about China’s economy and this concern is justified, but perhaps not for the reasons touted in the financial media. The China Beige Book (CBB) fourth-quarter preview, released December 27, reports that sales volumes, output, domestic and export orders, investment, and hiring fell on a year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter basis. Headed by Leland Miller, CBB is a research service that surveys thousands of companies and bankers on the ground in China every quarter....

                    Complete article here: https://nationalinterest.org/feature...ity-risk-40902
                    About 10+ years ago, I had clients who were starting a small investment advisors company. Two young brilliant guys with impressive degrees in Economics.

                    Though I was talking with them to get information for writing their website, they went on a side tangent about the stock market and the world economy that made my arm hairs prickle. What they said about China in relation to the US boils down to artificially-inflated mega-corp stock values, and massive US debt held by China, that at some point will no longer be sustainable. And they made some long-range geo-political predictions I've been keeping an eye on in terms of China invading other countries.

                    Then I read that China is currently ramping up weapons plus the threat of China invading Taiwan. Articles:

                    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN22I16W

                    https://www.reuters.com/investigates...ry-amphibious/

                    https://www.reuters.com/investigates...ry-amphibious/

                    To bring this all back to the film industry, I have another client who has educated me on the life cycle of businesses and industries. The film industry -- in my opinion -- shows signs of being on the precipice of the "decline stage."

                    Are we doomed? I'm thinking when the money hungry fat cats crumble -- because they've grown too huge to turn the ship around before it hits the iceberg -- we peasants will crawl out of the rubble and rebuild.
                    Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I understand that this is an old post now, but I just got accepted onto the site today, so...

                      Disney likely doesn't care. As pointed out above, the population - and spending power - of China alone, more than justifies any risk!
                      If anyone remembers the WoW film, they'll know that it absolutely bombed in America... yet made an absolute killing in China! So much so, in fact, that there was talk of an immediate sequel (not that I know what happened to that film... which is kind of a shame, but anyway).

                      Another thing is: the brand Disney announcing a Mulan film got about 7 or 8 Chinese companies to get theirs funded too! I mean: why advertise when Disney can basically do it for you?
                      And, of course, for Disney, all those "rip-offs" were advertising their film, so why care about them?

                      Now, whether or not any of those Chinese films (including one animation... which, I believe, was part-American), were better than the Disney film, is another matter entirely.

                      But, to be honest, the thing that probably hurt Disney the most was sticking the film on its own subscription platform, behind a paywall!
                      No, thank you, I won't pay for popcorn... and then the paper bucket... oh, and the flavouring too?!

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