 |
| ‘𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲’ 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗫𝗶𝗻𝗷𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝘂 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 (Photo: Weibo) |
It’s all kicked off again in China’s entertainment scene, as the aftershock of actor Yu Menglong’s sudden death shows no sign of slowing down.
Public anger is properly brewing after authorities clamped down on discussions surrounding the cause of his passing — and the new “patriotic” flick Hope has ended up smack in the middle of the storm.
Originally hyped as a “red-theme” film — meaning heavy on Communist revolution vibes — Hope was meant to inspire national pride.
Instead, it’s now the poster child of public distrust.
Netizens are fuming after rumours surfaced that the movie’s numbers were faked and its online reviews flooded with bots.
And if that weren’t enough, Tian Hairong, the veteran actress leading the cast, has found herself caught up in the mess.
𝗧𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻 — 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗶 𝗚𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴
Now, let’s clear this up.
Tian Hairong wasn’t one of the 17 celebs linked to Yu Menglong’s death list that’s been doing the rounds online.
But her name was tossed into the chaos after director Cheng Qingsong posted a WeChat chat claiming he was with Tian — not Yu Menglong — on the night of the incident.
The screenshot went viral, and Tian had to jump on Weibo to set things straight: she didn’t know Alan Yu personally, and the convo had been “edited and misused.”
Basically, she was turned into an alibi she never asked for.
𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗵𝗲𝗺
Things were already grim before Hope even hit screens.
Presales barely scraped 12,000 yuan (roughly £1900), and Douban was full of boycott posts.
The platform eventually had to shut down comments entirely because the backlash was so heavy.
When the movie finally premiered, more drama followed.
Reports from NetEase claimed some theatres listed it as “sold out” — but walk in, and you’d find empty halls.
Only the pricey VIP seats seemed “booked out,” and even that looked suspicious.
In Wuhan, screenings showed as full online, but eyewitnesses posted pictures of completely vacant cinemas.
𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
The dodgy part didn’t stop there.
Hundreds of nearly identical five-star reviews flooded the net, all reading like they’d been written by a bot farm.
Then came claims that some schools were telling students to go watch the film, a move many saw as a forced push to save face and inflate numbers.
Instead of uplifting spirits, Hope became a symbol of how out of touch the industry has gotten with the public mood.
The people weren’t having it — especially in Xinjiang, Yu Menglong’s hometown.
𝗫𝗶𝗻𝗷𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆
This bit hit different.
Out of 46 cinemas across the Xinjiang region, only three screened Hope on release day. By the very next day, none did.
Locals quietly boycotted the film, seeing it as a show of respect for Yu Menglong and a call for transparency about what really happened to him.
The move was hailed online as a bold, silent protest — one that spoke louder than any hashtag could.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
Ironically, Hope was meant to tell the story of Li Dazhao, one of the founders of the CCP, showing his determination to spark revolution.
But with Tian Hairong’s name now muddied by the scandal and audiences walking away, the film’s original message has completely backfired.
Critics are saying what everyone’s thinking — the title Hope now sounds painfully ironic.
What was supposed to be a patriotic piece has turned into a symbol of the public’s deepening mistrust in the system — and a rallying cry for truth in the Yu Menglong case.
Source: Weibo/3g.china