▲ Chinese COVID-19 film 'Heroes in Harm's Way'
A film depicting the lockdown of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, during the early stages of COVID-19 has failed to release on its scheduled date following online controversy.
Although the film announced its release about six years after finishing shooting in 2020, the screening appears to have been canceled as backlash continued from people unwilling to relive the painful memories of that time.
On November 6, ticket booking platforms in China, such as Maoyan, showed that the screening schedule for the movie "Heroes in Harm's Way," which was set to premiere today, had been removed and is no longer available for booking.
On the Chinese film review site Douban, the film's release date was changed to 2027, and user review and comment functions were restricted.
Previously, the production company released a trailer on social media on October 17 featuring the phrases "76 days, 10 million people, the path of life and death," announcing that the film would premiere across China on November 6.
However, as no new posts were uploaded to social media and ticket sales failed to begin ahead of the premiere, speculations emerged that the release might be postponed.
The production company reportedly provided no specific explanation regarding the change in the release schedule.
Directed by Hong Kong-born director Chiu Li-kwan and starring Andy Lau and Yang Zishan, the film is set in Wuhan in early 2020 when COVID-19 began to spread, telling the story of medical staff, patients, and citizens helping one another amid the infectious disease crisis.
Although filming wrapped up in December 2020, the movie remained unreleased for nearly six years before its screening schedule was confirmed last month.
However, once news of the release broke, online reactions in China criticized the film's production intent, with many expressing that they did not want to rekindle the painful memories of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some netizens reacted with comments such as, "Our wounds have scabbed over, why pick at them again?" and "The people of Wuhan do not want to see this."
(Photo: Baidu capture, Yonhap News)
