As Far as China Is Concerned, Keanu Reeves No Longer Exists

"It's no longer possible to watch any content starring Keanu Reeves in China," reports PC Magazine, "and searching for his name returns no results from search engines."

The AV Club explains: Earlier this year, about a month after the release of The Matrix Resurrections, Reeves was announced as a performer at the 35th annual Tibet House Benefit Concert. The concert was organized by Tibet House, a nonprofit founded by supporters of the Dalai Lama that Chinese authorities have labeled "a separatist organization advocating for Tibetan independence," according to The Hollywood Reporter....

According to the Los Angeles Times, the actor's catalog can no longer include films like the Matrix, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and The Lake House. Toy Story 4 is the only movie that is still available to stream in the country, but it is not the original cast from the US release.

But it's more than that, notes PC Magazine: As Reuters reports, the Chinese authorities have seemingly wiped the actor's existence from servers across the country.... And with the internet being so restricted and controlled there, it's relatively simple for those in power to digitally disappear someone. So far, Tencent and iQiyi have removed at least 19 of the actor's movies from their streaming platforms, and performing a search for either his English name or its Chinese translation will return zero results from search engines, apparently.

The Los Angeles Times gives some context, saying that the development emerged just after his latest film "The Matrix: Resurrections" became the first blockbuster to hit Chinese theaters in over two months. Alex Yu, a researcher at China, said that the conflicting signals between the online and theatrical markets suggest that some of these measures come from different places. Yu said it was unclear who ordered the deletions, China's regulatory agencies or platforms acting proactive to remove potentially troublesome content. The system is so opaque that it is hard to know who is responsible. The DC League of Super-Pets, starring Chinese fan favorite Dwayne Johnson, and the sequel John Wick: Chapter 4, starring Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, appear to target mainland viewers. The Matrix: Resurrections was a flop in China even before it faced nationalist backlash, grossing only $13.6 million and notching just 5.7 out of 10 on the taste-making ratings platform.