Many of American blockbusters receive an added boost from the international box office ― China in particular.

As profitability has increasingly become dependent on foreign viewers, studios have altered their movies to fit Chinese tastes. That means more action flicks and fewer dramas.

More sinisterly, it also means altering movies to comply with the communist Chinese government’s propaganda and censorship agency. It means no unfavorable depictions of China(e.g., the Chinese military) and limits on favorable depictions of Americans ―especially in relation to the Chinese.

Because the monetary implications of Chinese distribution are so high, producers self-censor or accept any changes required by Chinese censorship agency. That means the blockbusters at theaters have been “redwashed” of anything the Chinese government doesn’t like.

China’s growing control of the movie industry also exists downstream. AMC Theaters is owned by the Dalian Wanda group, whose board members have ties to the communist government. With that choke hold on distribution, China has the power to prevent showing movies unacceptable to the Chinese government. That is a not-too-subtle intimidation of those who write movie scripts as a business.

This control is an insidious threat to our national security. Public opinion is created downstream from pop culture. And government policy is determined by public opinion China leaders understand their substantial control of the movie industry can influence U.S. policy.

China recognizes that broad, multiplatform communications are tools to form public opinion and implement social controls in other countries.