#BoycottMulan gains momentum prior to film's release in Pakistan

As Disney's mega-budget live-action remake of Mulan prepares to roll out in theaters in select markets, pro-democracy activists are urging audiences to steer clear of the film via the growing #BoycottMulan movement, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

A wave of coordinated social media activity in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand reiterated comments made by the film's star, Liu Yifei, while supporting Hong Kong's police force.

Among the most prominent voices calling for the boycott is Hong Kong's activist leader Joshua Wong who thinks Mulan should be skipped "because of Disney's kowtows to Beijing, and because Liu Yifei openly and proudly endorses police brutality."

"I urge everyone who believes in human rights to #BoycottMulan," he wrote Friday on Twitter. He went on to claim rgar Hollywood was "betraying" the values it "purports to champion."

Controversy has dogged Mulan since the heat of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests last summer, when Liu, a Chinese American, took to social media and shared an image which read: "I support Hong Kong's police, you can beat me up now." In English, she added: "What a shame for Hong Kong."

Her remarks prompted an instant backlash from the city's pro-democracy activists, who accused the local police of brutality, unlawful arrests and even torture.

In an earlier interview with the outlet with respect to the backlash, Liu said, "I think it's obviously a very complicated situation, and I'm not an expert. I just really hope this gets resolved soon ... I think it's just a very sensitive situation."

Mulan, which cost $200 million to make before marketing, released exclusively over Disney+ in the U.S. over the weekend, but it is scheduled to hit the big screen in various Asian markets on Friday, including Pakistan. 

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