But an insider counters that the decision likely has to do with the size and scope of the film given the foreign film quota and the fact that there are several new Hollywood tentpoles in the Chinese market right now.

The move won't likely hurt the PG film much at the box office. Christopher Robin is expected to make a solid debut in the U.S. when it opens today, earning between high $20 millions and $30 million. But it's still a small blow given that other recent movies from Disney's live-action division, like 2014's Maleficent and 2015's Cinderella, have made tidy sums in China ($48 million and $72 million, respectively).

Disney put Christopher Robin into development in 2015, long before Winnie the Pooh became a lightning rod for controversy in China. And shooting began on the Marc Forster-helmed film in summer 2017 in the United Kingdom, right around the same time the Chinese Winnie the Pooh crackdown began.

The only other Disney film this year to receive a no from China was A Wrinkle in Time. Disney will open Ant-Man and The Wasp in China on Aug. 24, when it will join other Hollywood tentpoles like Skyscraper and Mission: Impossible – Fallout.