10 Ridiculous International Movie Posters
9. Arrival (China)
Aliens, such is their cinematic wont, unexpectedly begin popping up in giant chocolate orange segments around Earth in Denis Villeneuve's 2016's sci-fi affair, leaving the blue planet's residents scratching their heads at the reason. The film's promotional material, localised for each region, shows one such of Terry's big black interstellar ships hovering above a famous landscape, indignantly asking the question typical of the in-laws unexpectedly turning up of a weekend: "why are they are?"
When they first clapped eyes on their version of the one-sheet, the question from many miffed punters in Hong Kong was more one of "why is THAT there?". The Chinese language advertising campaign showed an alien craft eerily floating above the Pearl of the Orient's familiar skyline, albeit with one less than familiar new building: Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower, sneakily Photoshopped into one corner.
The architectural addition caused a considerable stir, with many in the former British colony outraged at the suggestion of Chinese and Hong Kong confluency. The latter was returned to the mainland from Britain in 1997, and has gradually fought the erosion of both its democracy and cultural identity.
When the hashtag #HongKongisnotChina began trending, the poster was changed. But the obvious solution of simply removing the tower was passed over in favour of relocating the entire artwork to Shanghai. This, as you might imagine, did not go down well either.