In recent years, China's government has intensified its crackdown on any sharing of photos and memes related to Winnie the Pooh.
Yes, Chinese social media platforms—among other things—are after the honey-loving bear. Why? Because of comparisons to the country’s President, Xi Jinping.
In 2019, HBO was banned by China after "John Oliver's Last Week Tonight" aired a segment joking about Pooh's resemblance to Xi. Oliver stated, “Apparently, Xi Jingping is very sensitive about his perceived resemblance to Winnie the Pooh.”
And so, with Pooh playing a significantly important role in the viral hit “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,” well, China had no choice but to ban the movie.
‘Blood and Honey’ producers posted on Facebook the cancellation announcement: "It is with great regret to announce the scheduled release of Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey in Hong Kong and Macau on March 23 has been cancelled.
We don’t know for sure if that was the exact reason, but I'd be shocked if it didn't play some part in the decision-making process.
The movie was actually approved for showing and was shown in Hong Kong a few times before the sudden cancellation. Make of that what you will.
Does that mean the meme market has the power to control the movie market in China? ‘Blood and Honey’ is a slasher flick featuring Winnie the Pooh and other characters from A.A. Milne's stories.
Here’s the official synopsis:
After Christopher Robin abandons them for college, Pooh and Piglet embark on a bloody rampage as they search for a new source of food.
It looks like a straight-up grind house affair, just look at the trailer is a fair representation. The film has nevertheless made $4.1 million at the box-office, this on a $100,000 budget.
As expected, Snyder's latest is being torn apart by TIFF attendees. No mercy given. The film, which had its world premiere this evening, is being called by some one of the worst movies to ever premiere at the festival.