A man wearing a face mask walks past a poster for the Disney movie "Mulan" at a movie theater in Beijing, on Sept. 11, 2020. Disney cast beloved actresses Liu Yifei as Mulan and removed a popular dragon sidekick in the original to cater to Chinese tastes. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)SEOUL – The remake of “Mulan” struck all the right chords to be a hit in the key Chinese market. Disney cast beloved actor Liu Yifei as Mulan and removed a dragon sidekick popular in the animated original to cater to Chinese tastes. “The mainland Chinese people aren’t the mainland Chinese viewers from 20 years ago,” she said of the lukewarm response.

A man stands in a set promoting the Disney movie Mulan in Beijing on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. Disney is under fire for filming part of its live-action reboot Mulan in Xinjiang, the region in China where the government has been accused of human rights abuses against Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. Last year, a boycott movement was sparked when the lead actor, Liu Yifei, a Chinese-American originally from Wuhan, publicly supported Hong Kong police when they were accused of using excessive force against Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. Donnie Yen, a renowned Hong Kong star who plays Mulans regiment leader Commander Tung, also drew ire from Hong Kong protesters for his pro-China stance. The controversy has revived calls for a boycott in Hong Kong, where the film will be released next week.