Hong Kong protestors are actively boycotting IP Man 4: The Finale. The protestors cite their main frustration with the movie as the pro-Beijing stance of stars Donnie Yen and Danny Chan, along with producer Raymond Wong. In China, Taiwan, and Singapore, the highly anticipated sequel has broken box office records. But in Hong Kong, the movie has only grossed $660,000 since premiering on Friday, which places it in second place behind The Rise of Skywalker.
Hong Kong protestors have been spoiling IP Man 4: The Finale on social media, taking to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to do so. Placards written in English and Chinese have been posted in the “IP Man Challenge.” Additionally, the “#boycottIpMan4” hashtag has started trending in Hong Kong as more users go out of their way to prevent potential viewers from heading into theaters to see the sequel. If the protestors aren’t spoiling the movie for people, they are actively snubbing it and it’s working really well.
The pro-democracy protests have been going on in Hong Kong since June of this year, sparking major debates. Chinese stars who have sided with the Chinese government have seen swift boycotts by protestors, who are out fighting for human rights. Now, many in the entertainment industry are starting to take note, as the boycott is having a detrimental effect at the box office. Making matters worse for the project is the fact that Donnie Yen was spotted with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover in 2017. Plus, he issued a statement earlier this year reasserting “the determination of the motherland.” His IP Man 4 co-star Danny Chang has also been voicing his opinion on social media quite a bit.
Danny Chang, who plays Bruce Lee in IP Man 4, has publicly voiced his support of the Hong Kong police more than once over the past several months. The actor has stated that the police should not “go easy on any protesters” nor “let anyone of them go,” on social media. Obviously, the protestors aren’t too happy with those remarks after the police have stepped up their attacks, using more force and illegal tactics.
IP Man 4 producer Raymond Wong has also made his pro-China stance known over the last handful of years, especially after organizing a fund for an anti-Occupy Central organization in 2014. Regardless, the movie has been seen as a pro-China movie, which isn’t sitting well in Hong Kong. While there have been some moments moving forward in the protests, this is seen as a step back for all parties involved. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out in the future after seeing the movie tank pretty hard and take second place to a Star Wars movie. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to reveal the IP Man 4 boycotts in Hong Kong.
