Screenings of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey have been cancelled in Hong Kong, the British Horror was due for release this week but the distributer has stopped it without providing a reason.
VII Pillars Entertainment said on its Facebook page that it was with “great regret” that the scheduled release of the film on 23 March had been cancelled. No further details were given.
There is speculation online that this is due to references to the original version of Winnie the Pooh having been used to protest against President Xi Jinping in recent years.
The film’s director Rhys Frake-Waterfield told Reuters: “The cinemas agreed to show it, then all independently come to the same decision overnight. It won’t be a coincidence.
“They claim technical reasons but there is no technical reason. The film has showed in over 4,000 cinema screens worldwide. These 30-plus screens in Hong Kong are the only ones with such issues.”
