‘Top Gun: Maverick’ may be banned in China due to a Taiwanese flag

• Top Gun: Maverick still yet to get a release date in China.
• Originally had Taiwanese flag patch on character Maverick’s jacket removed.
• Spiderman and Doctor Strange have also been banned by the Chinese film industry.

In China, Top Gun: Maverick may have been banned. It is fairly rare for a film to be denied distribution in a country, particularly China, due to tight censorship regulations.

Many Marvel Phase 4 films, such as Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man No Way Home, have already been released.

Read more: Late Tony Scott, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ pays tribute to former director

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the most recent addition to the MCU banner, was also delayed in its release in the world’s most populous country. The restriction was issued when an anti-Chinese government element was uncovered in the superhero flick.

Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick has been added to the list of films that will not be distributed in China. In the new movie, the filmmakers opted to reinstate the Taiwanese flag on the back of Cruise’s jacket.

Maverick’s characteristic leather jacket in the 1986 prequel carries a patch remembering his father’s battleship tours to Japan and Taiwan.

Read more: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ rises to a huge $124 million

Several Chinese fans, who, like others, had been looking forward to the release of the sequel, were disappointed by this choice. When it comes to the box office, there is no doubting that without any revenue from the country, there would be a dent. However, the action film is now performing fairly well.

When it was released, Top Gun: Maverick set multiple records in Tom Cruise’s greatest opening film. The film has grossed more than $300 million worldwide to date. With a $170 million budget, it had already covered it in just a few days.