Web ratings prohibited for new Chinese movie1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBEIJNG–At least two major entertainment websites in China have stopped allowing users to review the country’s newest propaganda blockbuster on the ruling Communist Party, an apparent effort by the authoritarian government to quash negative reactions.
Mtime.com and douban.com have removed their star rating systems and disabled the function for user reviews for “Beginning of the Great Revival,” which opened about three weeks ago to mixed reactions from audiences. Users are still able to comment and review other movies on the sites.
Calls to mtime.com on Thursday rang unanswered and douban.com did not respond to an email request for comment.
The movie was made to celebrate the Communist Party’s 90th anniversary on Friday and traces events from the fall of the last imperial dynasty in 1911 until the founding of the party in 1921. It features many of the Chinese film industry’s biggest names, including Chow Yun-fat, Fan Bingbing and John Woo, and is expected to draw about 300 million people over its run.
