Hong Kong protestors are actively boycottingIP Man 4: The Finale. The protestors cite their main frustration with the movie as the pro-Beijing stance of stars Donnie Yen and Danny Chan, along with producer Raymond Wong. In China, Taiwan, and Singapore, the highly anticipated sequel has broken box office records. But in Hong Kong, the movie has only grossed $660,000 since premiering on Friday, which places it in second place behindThe Rise of Skywalker.
Hong Kong protestorshave been spoilingIP Man 4: The Finaleon social media, taking to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to do so. Placards written in English and Chinese have been posted in the “IP Man Challenge.” Additionally, the “#boycottIpMan4” hashtag has started trending in Hong Kong as more users go out of their way to prevent potential viewers from heading into theaters to see the sequel. If the protestors aren’t spoiling the movie for people, they are actively snubbing it and it’s working really well.
The pro-democracy protests have been going on in Hong Kong since June of this year, sparking major debates. Chinese stars who have sided with the Chinese government have seen swift boycotts by protestors, who are out fighting for human rights. Now, many in the entertainment industry are starting to take note, as the boycott is having a detrimental effect at the box office. Making matters worse for the project is the fact thatDonnie Yenwas spotted with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover in 2017. Plus, he issued a statement earlier this year reasserting “the determination of the motherland.” HisIP Man 4co-star Danny Chang has also been voicing his opinion on social media quite a bit.
Danny Chang, who playsBruce LeeinIP Man 4, has publicly voiced his support of the Hong Kong police more than once over the past several months. The actor has stated that the police should not “go easy on any protesters” nor “let anyone of them go,” on social media. Obviously, the protestors aren’t too happy with those remarks after the police have stepped up their attacks, using more force and illegal tactics.
IP Man 4producer Raymond Wong has also made his pro-China stance known over the last handful of years, especially after organizing a fund for an anti-Occupy Central organization in 2014. Regardless, the movie has been seen as a pro-China movie, which isn’t sitting well in Hong Kong. While there have been some moments moving forward in the protests, this is seen as a step back for all parties involved. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out in the future after seeing the movie tank pretty hard and take second place to aStar Warsmovie.The Hollywood Reporterwas the first to reveal theIP Man 4boycotts in Hong Kong.
