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Hollywood's high-wire act with China
The scrutiny of a tiny flag patch in Top Gun: Maverick reflects the manoeuvres US film-makers have to undergo to satisfy American and Chinese audiences
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A trailer for Top Gun: Maverick (right) and a scene from the original Top Gun showing the flags of Japan and Taiwan from a jacket patch.
PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM BERLIN/YOUTUBE, PARAMOUNT PICTURES/YOUTUBE
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Before the movie Top Gun: Maverick made headlines for breaking box office records last week, it was in the news for a reason much less welcome to its studio executives: eagle-eyed fans had spotted that its movie trailer had removed a Taiwan flag patch on movie star Tom Cruise's iconic bomber jacket.
The patch was later reinstated, but many speculated the removal had been made to appease the movie's Chinese investor Tencent - which ended up pulling its funding from the movie anyway over fears it was too pro-America for Beijing's taste, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last month.
