Actor Keanu Reeves came under fire in China earlier this year for expressing his support for Tibet though participation at the Tibet House U.S' annual benefit concert. The concert was held on March 3 and while there appeared to be no response from Chinese authorities and companies at the time, it appears they have quietly answered by removing all of the actor's films from streaming services.
According to the L.A Times, China's major streaming services, including Tencent, Bilibili and Xigua Video, removed 19 of Reeves' films from their sites last week. In addition, his name, Jinu Liweisi in Chinese, has been wiped from the Internet. When users attempt to search using that name on certain platforms, they now encounter an error reading. "Sorry, no results related to 'Keanu Reeves' were found," and, "Due to relevant laws, regulations and policies, some results are not shown."
It is currently uncertain who ordered the removal of Keanu Reeves' filmography or why they chose to respond long after the original call for a boycott and the benefit concert. The Matrix Resurrections, which released around the time Reeves was announced for the concert, continued to play in theaters, though it did see lacklustre earnings at the box office.
In comparison to more recent releases, The Matrix Resurrections was not a massive box office hit, grossing $156 million worldwide. It should be noted, however, that the film was released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. In China, the film was released exclusively in cinemas and grossed a total of $7.5 million over its theatrical run.
The 35th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert was held virtually on March 3. While it was previously speculated that Reeves would offer a musical performance, the actor contributed by reciting the exquisite corpse poem "Pull My Daisy," by Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. Alongside Reeves, the concert saw appearances by Sandra Oh, Iggy Pop, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Colbert and more.
The Tibet House U.S is part of an international coalition of Tibet-focused organizations founded in 1987 at the request of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who has been in exile since 1959, following the People's Republic of China's annexation of Tibet in 1950. Since then, the Communist Party-ruled Chinese government has cracked down on the Tibetan people and culture. The Dalai Lama claims China's invasion has resulted in the deaths of over a million Tibetans over the decades. This includes those who self-immolated as a form of protest.
Source: L.A Times