Racist Joke Removed from MONSTER HUNTER Following Backlash in China

Paul W.S. Anderson's film adaptation of the video game series Monster Hunter found itself embroiled in controversy last week as a perceived racist joke caused an uproar for Chinese fans.

The joke in question, which has subsequently been removed from the film's theatrical cut, is delivered by a character played by actor Jin Au-Yeung, in which he points to his own knees and says, "Chi-knees!" The joke was perceived among many film fans as an allusion to the racist rhyme, "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees."

Due to the intense backlash that followed, the film was pulled from theaters in China just a day after its release. Having removed the offending line, the film's distributor and production company are currently in negotiations with the Chinese government to re-release the film.

The film's production company said in a statement:

"There was absolutely no intent to discriminate, insult or otherwise offend anyone of Chinese heritage. Constantin Film has listened to the concerns expressed by Chinese audiences and removed the line that has led to this inadvertent misunderstanding."

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