The scene involving the aliens attacking iconic sites has been removed from the final version of the sci-fi comedy featuring Adam Sandler, distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment in the United States this week. According to internal Sony Pictures emails, executives decided to spare the Great Wall in order to secure approval for the film's release in China. Several other changes were made to avoid content that could be seen as negative by Chinese authorities, including references to China as a potential culprit in an attack and a mention of a "Communist-conspiracy brother" hacking a mail server. These alterations were made to increase the chances of the movie "Pixels" being successful in the global box office. Li Chow, the chief representative of Sony Pictures in China, advised senior Sony executives in a December 2013 email that breaking a hole in the Great Wall, while not a problem on a global scale, would not benefit the release of a film in China. Therefore, Li recommended against doing so. This email was one of many confidential Sony emails and documents that were hacked and made public in late 2014. The US government attributed the breach to North Korea. In April, WikiLeaks released a searchable online archive of the emails, memos, and presentations from the Sony hack. A spokesman for Sony Pictures, a division of Sony Corp. based in Tokyo, stated that they will not be making any comments on stolen emails or internal discussions regarding specific content decisions. The process of determining the best way to release a film involves various factors, with creating content that appeals to a global audience while maintaining creative integrity being a top priority. Chinese government and film-industry officials did not provide any comments on the matter. The leaked emails also show how Sony executives carefully considered Chinese preferences when producing movies, such as the 2014 remake of "RoboCop." In one email from 2013, a senior vice president at Sony Pictures Releasing International suggested relocating a weapons conglomerate from China to a Southeast Asian country like Vietnam or Cambodia to make the film more acceptable to Chinese authorities. Ultimately, it can be seen in the movie that the proposed change was not implemented. Bruno has left Sony since then. The leaked Sony emails reveal the extent to which the movie studio practiced self-censorship in anticipation of Beijing's reaction. Hollywood's increasing reliance on the Chinese audience is evident, with box office revenues in China growing while declining in the United States and Canada. Other studios have also altered movies to gain approval from Beijing for screening in China. The comparison between the Chinese and international versions of "Iron Man 3" reveals that a scene featuring a Chinese doctor was extended in the Chinese version and included popular Chinese actress Fan Bingbing. The movie, produced by Marvel Studios, was the second highest-grossing film in China in 2013. Marvel did not provide a comment on the matter. The concept of self-censorship is evident in the case of "Pixels," where the Sony emails indicate the creation of a single, China-friendly version for all audiences. Sony's reasoning behind this decision was explained by Steven O'Dell, president of Sony Pictures Releasing International, in a September 12, 2013 email regarding "RoboCop." O'Dell suggested that changing the China-related elements to another country would be a simple solution. The recommendation is to change all versions of the film, not just the China version, in order to avoid criticism from the press. The US motion-picture industry is trying to appeal to China, despite the country's crackdown on civil society under President Xi Jinping. China's restrictions on civil liberties are now impacting global audiences, as seen in the removal of scenes from "Pixels" to avoid offending Beijing. This demonstrates how China's values are influencing international standards in the film industry. Peter Shiao, founder and CEO of Orb Media Group, stated that studios have become more aware when it comes to producing films, especially global blockbusters, to ensure they are not rejected by the Chinese audience for social or political reasons. He mentioned Sony's incident with the film "The Interview" depicting the assassination of Kim Jong-un, where the studio initially halted the release due to threats, but ultimately released the movie after backlash. President Barack Obama warned against self-censorship in response to the incident. During his year-end White House press briefing, Obama expressed concerns about the implications of allowing intimidation to prevent the release of satirical movies, warning that it could lead to self-censorship in response to disapproval of documentaries or news reports. He emphasized that America should not compromise its values or freedom of expression. Despite falling box office receipts in the United States and Canada, Hollywood studios are increasingly drawn to the lucrative Chinese market, where box office receipts have seen significant growth. China is expected to set a new record for box office receipts in 2015. As of early June 2015, the action movie "Fast & Furious 7" was the top-grossing film in China, making $383 million, surpassing the $351 million earned in the United States and Canada combined. Following closely behind were "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Jurassic World." Wang Fenglin, vice president of the China Film Producers' Association, predicted last November that the Chinese film market would surpass the United States as the largest in the world within three years. This prediction seems to have influenced decisions made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc when remaking the action movie "Red Dawn" in 2012. The studio changed the nationality of the invading soldiers from Chinese to North Korean in post-production, as confirmed by Red Dawn producer Tripp Vinson. MGM did not provide any comment in response to requests. In China, in order for a movie to be shown in theaters, it must first receive approval from the Film Bureau, led by Zhang Hongsen, a prominent member of the Communist Party and domestic television screenwriter. Zhang has expressed the need for the Chinese film industry to grow and become more powerful in the face of increasing pressure from foreign films. The Film Bureau is under the authority of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), which is directly accountable to the State Council. This administration oversees state-owned communication enterprises such as China Central Television and China Radio International, and censorship guidelines were established in a 2001 order from the State Council. The directive prohibits content that poses a threat to China's unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as content that damages national dignity and disrupts social harmony. It also prohibits content that goes against public morality and national customs. In addition, the guidelines issued by SAPPRFT include bans on material that criticizes the government and political figures. The expansion of these guidelines was evident in an email sent by Sanford Panitch last November, who is now the President of International Film and Television at Sony. In the email, Panitch mentioned new measures being enforced by SAPPRFT officials, including addressing previously unspecified areas such as decadence, fortune telling, hunting, and particularly, sexuality. Film studios must collaborate with China Film Group Corp, a government-owned company responsible for importing and distributing foreign films. China Film Group Corp also has the potential to invest in some projects. Sony executives explored a co-financing agreement in which China Film Group Corp would contribute 10 percent of the budget for "Pixels". The company is led by La Peikang, a member of the Communist Party and former deputy head of the Film Bureau. A maximum of 34 foreign films are permitted to enter the Chinese market annually, with a revenue-sharing system giving foreign studios 25 percent of box office earnings. Fourteen out of the films must be in advanced formats such as 3D or IMAX, as shown by the Sony emails highlighting the unpredictable censorship process in China. In early 2014, the studio faced a request to remove a crucial yet unsettling scene from "RoboCop" for Chinese viewers. An email from international executive Steven O'Dell dated January 28, 2014 expressed frustration with the censorship on "RoboCop," specifically regarding the scene where the protagonist's inner workings are exposed. O'Dell hoped to navigate the censorship by only making slight modifications to the scene. "We are unsure about taking a definitive stance on this issue due to the significant amount of money involved. We hope we do not have to remove the scene. The current political environment under President Xi is also a factor, as indicated in an email. Sony China executive Li Chow expressed doubts about the government's flexibility in early 2014, citing the conservative nature of the present government and the frequent cuts to the movie Robocop. The censorship board members appear hesitant and cautious. When discussing "Pixels," Sony executives struggle to understand the sensitivities of the Chinese authorities. In a November 1, 2013 email, Li Chow proposed several script changes, including removing the scene where a hole is smashed in the Great Wall." She suggested that it would be better to show recognizable historical sites around the world being destroyed on a large scale. She also recommended changing a scene where officials speculate about a potential attack from China to instead consider Russia, Iran, or Google. She advised against portraying China as lacking advanced technology and warned against depicting a communist conspiracy involving hacking. Additionally, she proposed removing a scene at the Great Wall and relocating a car chase scene involving Pac-Man from Tokyo to Shanghai. Li Chow cautioned against moving the Pac-Man action from Tokyo to Shanghai due to potential destruction and sensitivity issues in the city. She expressed concern in an email dated December 18, 2013, questioning where the line should be drawn when it comes to collateral damage. As a result of these concerns, all references to China in the movie were ultimately removed, a decision that seems to have been finalized in early 2014. International executive O'Dell mentioned that Doug Belgrad, the then-Columbia Pictures President, seemed to be following Li's advice by removing all China references from the movie Pixels, such as not using the Great Wall as one of the set pieces. The consequences of not obtaining approval to release a movie in China were evident in Sony emails. For example, a Sony marketing executive sent an email in February 2014 stating that the movie "Captain Phillips" would not be shown in China. This decision affected budget discussions as Sony executives had initially anticipated earning $120 million globally from the movie, but this changed when it was not approved for screening in China. An email from a conference call mentioned that they were now short $9 million due to the absence of a release in China. "We must make every effort to maximize our earnings in order to achieve our goals. It is the responsibility of all of us to find ways to increase our revenue from this film." Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution at Sony Pictures, expressed doubts in a December 2013 email that "Captain Phillips" would be approved by China's censors due to the plot involving the US military rescuing the ship's captain. Bruer speculated that this element could make Chinese officials uncomfortable and predicted that the film would likely never pass censorship in China. The US military's large presence is the reason behind the rescue of a US citizen, which China would not do or support. Additionally, the political tone of the film is not something China would be comfortable with. However, Beijing seems to be fine with the movie "Pixels" as it has been approved for release in China and will open on September 15th.