Experts say the inclusion of the Taiwan flag on Top Gun: Maverick could signal Hollywood's shift away from a culture of respecting China's red lines.
"There have been recent cases of high-budget American films not entering the Chinese market. Studios are aware of this and make business decisions," said Ain Cocos, professor of media studies at the University of Virginia also author of Hollywood Made in China.
Hollywood blockbusters, including Marvel's The Eternal and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, have been caught on Chinese screens after directors or actors in films criticized China.
Chinese tech giant Tencent announced in 2019 that it was investing in a Top Gun sequel; He later resigned because he feared his support for a film with a strongly pro-American military theme would anger officials in the ruling Communist Party, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing people familiar with the funding.
