Can you spot the Chinese tech firms in Pacific Rim Uprising?

Company logos and mascots feature prominently in Hollywood blockbuster

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Karen Chiu

Published: 6:45pm, 9 Apr 2018Updated: 8:22am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

When the original Pacific Rim came out in 2013, it marked a rare instance when a Hollywood movie did better in China than in the US. This time around, sequel Pacific Rim Uprising is aimed squarely at Chinese audiences, racking up more than $90 million in the country within just two weeks.

Theatergoers watching the sci-fi blockbuster will find plenty of Chinese elements, including actress Jing Tian -- who plays the head of a corporation bringing in giant robots called Jaegers -- as well as iconic landmarks like Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower and Beijing’s CCTV headquarters.

The Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai as seen in Pacific Rim Uprising. (Picture: Pacific Rim Official Weibo)

On top of that, a number of China’s tech giants made product placement appearances throughout the movie -- with JD.com being the most prominent. Names, logos and slogans of the e-commerce company can be seen plastered over skyscrapers as Jaegers battle nearby.

The red-and-white logo of JD.com appears on a building in the film. (Picture: Pacific Rim Uprising trailer)

Tencent also made a cameo. A massive holographic image of the internet giant’s penguin mascot was projected onto the roof of a building during one of the fight scenes.