If there wasn’t already enough to like about “Top Gun: Maverick” — based on the movie alone — another wonderful piece of news is that a Chinese company backed out of financing it because of the film’s pro-America message.
After seeing corporate America’s constant genuflecting to communist China, it’s nice to see that Paramount Pictures did not.
China has responded by not approving “Maverick” for release in their market.
Fine. It looks like the film will do more than okay without it.
Variety reported that “Maverick” took in $248 million worldwide and $154 million nationally during its first four days in theaters, making it the most successful Memorial Day debut in history.
It marked the first $100 million+ domestic opening weekend in actor Tom Cruise’s 40-year career.
Audiences gave the film a rare “A+” CinemaScore, the first to earn the grade in 2022.
We polled @TopGunMovie: Maverick tonight and audiences gave it an A+! Congrats to @ParamountPics, @TomCruise, and the rest of the cast and crew! Will you be lining up to see the sequel this weekend? #CinemaScore pic.twitter.com/ESnSu9RxkE
— CinemaScore (@CinemaScore) May 28, 2022
A central message coming out of the movie is not to count America out. It’s still a force for good and security in a turbulent and violent world.
Are you glad the filmmakers did not bow to China?
After all what does a U.S. aircraft carrier represent but the projection of America’s military might and presence?
Without giving much away about “Maverick,” the mission that Cruise’s character — U.S. Navy Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell — oversees is the attack of a soon to be operational nuclear facility in what is identified as a “rogue” nation.
Iran immediately comes to mind, or perhaps North Korea.
The unidentified enemy’s highly advanced fighter jets in the movie sport a red star.
Apparently, Chinese tech company Tencent Holdings Ltd., after initially investing millions to take a 12.5 percent stake in the film, backed out, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“The reason: Tencent executives backed out of the $170 million Paramount Pictures production after they grew concerned that Communist Party officials in Beijing would be angry about the company’s affiliation with a movie celebrating the American military, according to people familiar with the matter,” the Journal said.
This is great news. After a brush with anti-American censorship, Top Gun 2 shed its ties to China’s government and won its soul back. How many other American movies have sacrificed their values and principles at the alter of Chinese investment? https://t.co/mlgz320MCh
— Ian Easton (@Ian_M_Easton) May 29, 2022
“Association with a pro-American story grew radioactive as relations between the U.S. and China devolved, the people added. The about-face turned ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from a movie that once symbolized deepening ties between China and Hollywood into a fresh example of the broader tensions forming between the U.S. and China.”
So be it.
Early on, the filmmakers seemed to bow to the CCP’s sensibilities by removing the flags of Taiwan and Japan from a patch on Cruise’s leather jacket he’s wearing in the 2019 trailer for the movie, Vice reported.
“The patch commemorates a U.S. battleship’s tour of Japan, Taiwan and the Western Pacific in 1963-1964,” according to the news outlet.
Audiences in Taiwan reportedly cheered when then saw the flags had been restored in the actual movie.
“During the first screenings in Taiwan, audiences cheered and clapped when their flag unexpectedly appeared.” https://t.co/8Z0OZmFwXv
— Julian Ku 古舉倫 (@julianku) May 30, 2022
All this is good news.
Now we just need corporate America and our leaders in Washington to grow a spine and not allow communist China to dictate what happens in the U.S.
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