Tom Cruise Appears Wearing Pilot Jumper with Taiwan Flag Design

Appearance of Taiwan Flag in Movie Top Gun Sequel
Paramount Does Not Currently Expect Release in China

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] As the Taiwanese flag appears in the sequel to the movie 'Top Gun,' U.S. media reported on the 31st (local time) that Hollywood might be moving away from its previous tendency to be mindful of censorship by Chinese authorities.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Bloomberg News reported that the protagonist of 'Top Gun: Maverick,' Tom Cruise, appears in the film wearing a pilot jacket featuring the Taiwanese flag.

Earlier, Taiwanese local media such as Liberty Times reported that "the Republic of China (Taiwan) flag has returned to Top Gun," and local audiences cheered.

In the 2019 trailer of the film, Cruise wore a jacket with the Taiwanese and Japanese flags, but this scene was later removed from the trailer, leading to speculation that the production company Paramount was mindful of Chinese censorship.

Bloomberg News analyzed, "The Top Gun production team risked angering China by including the Taiwanese flag on Cruise's jacket," and "some executives in Hollywood studios appear to have turned a new page regarding Chinese censorship issues."

In the film, the protagonist's father is depicted wearing a jacket with the Taiwanese flag to commemorate his service in the U.S. Navy during the 1960s, when he was on missions near Taiwan and Japan.

Alongside this, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Tencent, China's largest tech company, had signed a partnership agreement with Paramount, the producer of Top Gun, in July 2019, but withdrew its investment due to concerns over supporting a "pro-American film."

While U.S. and Taiwanese media continue to report on sensitive issues surrounding the movie Top Gun, it is known that the film has not yet received approval for release from Chinese authorities.

WSJ stated, "Paramount executives currently do not expect a release in China and hope for box office success beyond expectations in the United States."

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Top Gun has currently recorded a box office of $156 million in the North American market just four days after its release. This is the highest-grossing film released during the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.