HONG KONG, China (AP) – Public screenings of a slasher film that features Winnie the Pooh were scrapped abruptly in Hong Kong this week, sparking discussions over increasing censorship in the city.

Film distributor VII Pillars Entertainment announced on Facebook that the release of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey on Thursday had been cancelled with "great regret" in Hong Kong and neighbouring Macao.

In an -email reply to The Associated Press, the distributor said it was notified by cinemas that they could not show the film as scheduled, but it didn't know why. The cinema chains involved did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

For many residents, the Winnie the Pooh character is a playful taunt of China's President Xi Jinping and Chinese censors in the past had briefly banned social media searches for the bear in the country. In 2018, the film Christopher Robin, also featuring Winnie the Pooh, was reportedly denied a release in China.

The film being pulled in Hong Kong has prompted concern on social media over the territory's shrinking freedoms.

The movie was initially set to be shown in about 30 cinemas in Hong Kong, VII Pillars Entertainment wrote last week.

The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration said it had approved the film and arrangements by local cinemas to screen approved films "are the commercial decisions of the cinemas concerned". It refused to comment on such arrangements.