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REPORT: Investors Pull Funding From ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Over Fear Of Communist Party Reaction

Screenshot/YouTube/ParamountPictures

Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
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Chinese technology firm Tencent Holdings pulled $170 million in financing from “Top Gun: Maverick” over fears that Communist Party officials would be angry at their involvement.

Tencent Holdings backed the Paramount Pictures production in 2019, after previously boasting their involvement in the sequel to Tom Cruise’s 1986 classic “Top Gun,” sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. The company quietly backed out of their financial support later in 2019 after China pressured companies to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party, according to the outlet.

Their sudden funding pull came after executives at Paramount switched up the Taiwanese and Japanese flags on “Maverick’s” iconic bomber jacket, reportedly at the behest of their Chinese business partners, the WSJ continued. A Tencent financier was worried that China would be less likely to approve the film for distribution if the original flags were still featured, the outlet reported.

Chinese officials have consistently challenged Taiwan’s sovereignty, with some threatening war with the U.S. if the island nation continues toward independence. (RELATED: Blinken Says US Has To Avoid Potential ‘Cold War’ With China After Biden Threatens Military Action Over Taiwan)

There was, at one point, hope that the hyper-pro-America movie could pull in roughly $80 million from Chinese theatres, while it’s expected to rake in $100 million during its opening on Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and Canada, the WSJ reported.