Monster Hunter pulled from Chinese cinemas over racist scene
Chinese regulators are in the midst of censoring the film #MonsterHunter after controversy broke out online on opening day https://t.co/WrVO3ZkzRe
- Variety (@Variety) December 5, 2020
Monster Hunter -- the film based on the video game series -- has been pulled in China a day after its release after backlash over a racist scene.
Cinemas received word to pull the film around midnight Friday local time and that a newer version without the scene would replace it, but that was halted. There is currently no word on when/if the film will be put back in theaters.
The scene in question comes from Chinese rapper MC Jin, who makes a joke that references an old racist schoolyard rhyme that insulted kids of Asian descent. Viewers took to Weibo to trash the film, Tencent (a tech company in China that co-produced and distributed the film), Capcom, and even the government censors for not properly vetting the film before release.
Capcom had to release a statement distancing itself from the film, letting people know it had no role in its production.
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