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  1. Wokeometer
  2. Movies
  3. The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City
Box Office
Flop · 0.1x
Budget$18.2M
Worldwide Gross$1.5M
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The Forbidden City

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The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City

movie·NR·Mar 17, 2026·
Box OfficeFlop · 0.1x
$18.2M
Budget
$1.5M
Gross
Shop

Shop this title

The Forbidden City

We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.

Digital video
Amazon — Digital video. Search this format: The Forbidden City. Opens in a new tab
DVD & Blu-ray
Amazon — DVD & Blu-ray. Search this format: The Forbidden City. Opens in a new tab

Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.

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The Forbidden City

movie
NR
March 17, 2026
Wokeometer Rating
2Based
Audience Woke Score
No Ratings Yet
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke

TL;DR Verdict

The Forbidden City earns its low 2/10 woke score as pure, story-driven entertainment that blends martial arts action and romance without political messaging or identity politics. It stays focused on character-driven fights and family themes in a multicultural setting.

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Detailed Analysis

The Forbidden City is a 2025 Italian martial arts action film centered on original characters: Chinese protagonist Mei (Yaxi Liu, a stunt performer cast for her martial arts skills) arrives in Rome’s Esquilino Chinatown to search for her sister, teaming with Italian chef Marcello (Enrico Borello) against local criminal gangs.

The backstory references China’s historical one-child policy as context for the sisters’ hidden upbringing and martial arts training, while the plot drives a cross-cultural romance and revenge narrative through inventive fight scenes set in restaurants and streets. Casting features Liu as the lead fighter with full narrative justification via her character’s skills and motivation; Italian roles are filled by Italian actors, and supporting diversity reflects the real multicultural neighborhood without altering any established source material.

Themes of immigrant experience and family bonds emerge organically from the genre fusion of Hong Kong-style action, Italian crime drama, and romance, with no dialogue or subplots centering systemic oppression, identity politics, or critiques of traditional norms. One minor interview note mentions an anti-racist lens on the setting, but it remains incidental rather than foundational. Reception highlights the entertaining action, Liu’s physical performance, and hybrid appeal without notable controversy or claims of messaging over story.

Key Factors

  • Original Chinese female lead (Mei/Yaxi Liu) justified by martial arts training and revenge plot, not imposed diversity
  • Multicultural Rome Chinatown setting and cross-cultural romance arise naturally from the immigrant-crime story
  • Historical one-child policy used only as backstory for character motivation, with no activist framing or lectures

Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.

Detailed BreakdownPro

Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism

See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.

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Directed by

  • Gabriele Mainetti

Is The Forbidden City Woke?

We've run a full content analysis on The Forbidden City and scored it 2/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of woke content is in The Forbidden City?

Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into The Forbidden City's overall score.

Is The Forbidden City family-friendly?

Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). The Forbidden City is rated NR. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.

How does Wokeometer score movies?

We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →

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Top Cast

Liu Yaxi
2Based

Liu Yaxi

Mei

Enrico Borello
2Based

Enrico Borello

Marcello

Marco Giallini
2Based

Marco Giallini

Annibale

Sabrina Ferilli
2Based

Sabrina Ferilli

Lorena

Chunyu Shanshan
1Based

Chunyu Shanshan

Wang

Luca Zingaretti
2Based

Luca Zingaretti

Alfredo

T
2Based

Tomal Islam

Santi

Miki Yeung Oi-Gan
2Based

Miki Yeung Oi-Gan

Yun

Claudio Pallitto
2Based

Claudio Pallitto

Cip

D
2Based

Daniele Mosca

Cioppe

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