The distributor of the British slasher film "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" announced on Tuesday that the screening scheduled for release in Hong Kong this week had been cancelled, without giving any reasons for the cancellation.
VII Pillars Entertainment stated on its Facebook page that the cancellation of the movie on March 23 was with "great regret". The Chinese censors have targeted the film's main character in the past due to memes that compare the bumbling bear to President Xi Jinping.
The comparison began in 2013 when Xi met his then-counterpart Barack Obama in the United States, and some online commentators saw their likeness to Pooh and Tigger.
According to the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA), it had issued a certificate of approval to the applicant.
"The arrangements of cinemas in Hong Kong on the screening of individual films with certificates of approval in their premises are the commercial decisions of the cinemas concerned, and OFNAA would not comment on such arrangements," a spokesperson said.
Moviematic, which had organised a screening of the film for Tuesday evening, reported the cancellation on its social media page earlier in the day, citing technical reasons.
Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield told Reuters that "something mysterious" had happened.
"The cinemas agreed to show it, then all independently come to the same decision overnight. It won't be a coincidence," Frake-Waterfield said.
"They claim technical reasons, but there is no technical reason. The film has been shown on over 4,000 cinema screens worldwide. These 30+ screens in Hong Kong are the only ones with such issues."
Hong Kong was rocked by anti-government and pro-democracy protests in 2019, and Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 cracking down on dissent.
A new censorship law in the former British colony came into effect in 2021, which bars films that "endorse, support, glorify, encourage, and incite activities that might endanger national security".
Two films were dropped from Hong Kong's international film festival last year after failing to get approval from authorities.
The cancellation comes as Hong Kong hosts the Art Basel contemporary art fair, with authorities keen to promote the city as a vibrant cultural hub.
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