Q3 Content Censorship Roundup – Box Office Edition
Picking your battles is key to box office success in Q3, 2022
The end of another calendar quarter is nearly upon us. It's that time to look at the titles that have performed the best at the box office despite being forced to make content changes or being banned altogether. What's different about Q3 is that each of the top three titles fell victim to censorship. We've been saying for a while that everyone should expect more regulation and censorship, and so far, we haven't seen much to persuade us otherwise.
"Minions: The Rise of Gru"
If you're familiar with the plot of the Universal Pictures "Despicable Me/Minions" franchise, you know the protagonist is a character named "Felonious Gru," who is determined to become the world's greatest supervillain. Throughout the franchise and to earn this title, he has attempted to steal the moon, immobilized people in line at a coffee shop, and stolen numerous items like diamonds and fantastical weapons.
Part of the plot of "Minion: The Rise of Gru" centers on a character called "Wild Knuckles," who fakes suicide to escape capture by a group of villains called the Vicious 6. Knuckles then kidnaps the 11-year-old-Gru and begins his training as a supervillain. At least that's the story everywhere in the world except in Mainland China.
Censors in China insist that characters who commit crimes be caught and punished. Even animated ones. In China, producers were required to add an epilogue explaining that Wild Knuckles didn't escape. He was caught, served 20 years in prison, and became an actor while incarcerated. Instead of becoming a supervillain, Gru turned his life around and "became one of the good guys" who got married and raised three children.
While this didn't require any cuts to the body of the film, the epilogue was inconsistent with the actual storyline, which was not lost on Chinese moviegoers. Some complained it looked like a "bad PowerPoint presentation" was added at the film's end, while others said they didn't care as long as they could see the film uncut. Three months into general release, the film grossed $33M in China. Its current worldwide gross is $904M.
"Thor: Love and Thunder"
Despite being banned in the world's largest film market (China), nearly all Middle East Muslim countries, and Malaysia for LGBTQIA+ content, Taika Waititi's "Thor: Love and Thunder" performed well at the box office. Since its release on 8 July, the film has grossed $342.3M in US/Canada domestic markets and $414.2M internationally, for a total box office of $756.5M.
"Top Gun: Maverick"
2022's top-grossing film, "Top Gun: Maverick," continues to make money on a global scale. China banned the movie for scenes viewed by its government as overtly patriotic towards the US and a brief display of the Taiwanese flag. The latter is guaranteed to get any production banned from Chinese markets. Even without access to China, "Top Gun: Maverick" now ranks as the 5th Top Lifetime Gross title of all time. It has grossed over $1.5B worldwide and will only go higher.
Know When to Hold 'Em and When to Fold 'Em
You could argue that Universal Pictures and Imagination Entertainment caved when they offered to change the end of "Minions: The Rise of Gru." Still, you could also argue it was a wise business decision. In what amounts to single frames with subtitles, the producers complied with a country's censors with no change to the story as produced and had a $33M windfall they would not have had otherwise. It's as if the censors forgot it was a prequel, but clearly, the audience did not.
"Thor: Love and Thunder" and "Top Gun: Maverick" refused to make
the changes censors demanded and still did very well at the box office. Audiences have praised both studios for sticking with the story and supporting the writers and directors who made them. The lesson here is that knowing the culture, the audience, and the regulators is critical when deciding whether to comply or not. The old saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is true in the movie and entertainment business. Resources are available to help creators identify cultural or regulatory problems at the earliest stages of production. Learn what they are, and you can save time, avoid stress, and successfully release your content in nearly any market in the world.
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