Uncharted, starring Tom Holland, is banned in Vietnam for showing unauthorised maps. China’s claim to the disputed land in Southeast Asia is mentioned on the maps. The picture, which also stars Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas, will be released in Vietnam on March 18th.
“The film was barred from circulation after we watched it and discovered it contained an unauthorised image of the iconic nine-dash line,” Vietnam News Agency reported last Saturday.
China’s claim to the South China Sea is referred to as the ‘nine dash line.’ This claimed territory is rich in minerals and energy resources, as well as some of the busiest maritime channels on the planet. Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, the Paracel and Spratley islands, as well as Vietnam, all claim portions of the above-mentioned region.
Because of the disputed territory, Vietnam was also omitted from the film ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ which featured a scene with a global map on a designer bag, depicting the disputed area under Beijing’s sovereignty. The following year, DreamWorks’ animated film ‘Abominable’ was likewise banned from theatres after ten days when viewers brought the nine dash line map to the notice of authorities.
Although Vietnam has a modest film industry, it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on Uncharted’s ultimate box office gross. Uncharted has now grossed $277 million off a budget of $120 million, which isn’t terrible.
The plot of the film Uncharted follows Nathan Drake as he partners up with Sully in order to find a lost treasure and learn what happened to his older brother who vanished. Uncharted is currently at #3 in the domestic box office, trailing only Robert Pattinson’s Batman and Tom Holland’s Spiderman: No Way Home.