In January, it was announced that Keanu Reeves had joined the lineup for this year’s Tibet House U.S. Benefit Concert, alongside Phish’s Trey Anastasio, Cyndi Lauper, and Patti Smith, among others. This led to Chinese nationalists threatening to boycott The Matrix Resurrections — even though it had already been released in the country (it opened to a lackluster $7.5 million). The pro-Tibet benefit show, where Reeves read a poem, was held on March 3 and “came and went with no apparent consequences for Reeves,” according to the Los Angeles Times. “But the axe has now fallen.”
Last Monday, China’s major streamers removed the vast majority of Reeves’ filmography from their sites and wiped search results related to his name in Chinese — the cumbersome transliteration “Jinu Liweisi.”
“Sorry, no results related to ‘Keanu Reeves’ were found,” the platform iQiyi now states, adding: “Due to relevant laws, regulations and policies, some results are not shown.”
Most of Reeves’ best-known movies have been removed, including the John Wick and The Matrix franchises and Speed (Speed 2: Cruise Control might be available), with one exception. Toy Story 4, featuring the voice of Reeves as motorcycle daredevil Duke Caboom, still appears on Chinese streaming services, but “its credits are unusual: They unfurl in English except for the voice cast, which alone switches over to Chinese and lists only the local dubbing cast, avoiding any mention of Reeves’ name.”
If Keanu ever makes a movie with a Phish song on the soundtrack, it will be China’s most banned film ever.
(Via the Los Angeles Times)
