Moviegoers Rejoice as Marvel Returns to China. Here's Why It Was 'Banned' In First Place | EXPLAINED

Chinese moviegoers on Wednesday celebrated the return of Marvel films to Chinese theatres after a nearly four-year absence. Foreign films are tightly controlled in China, which has an annual release quota, and movies in the hugely popular Marvel franchises have been off the screen since the release of “Spider-Man: Far from Home” in July 2019.

Disney-owned Marvel Studios announced on Weibo on Wednesday that “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be released in Chinese theatres on February 7, followed by “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” on February 17.

But Why Had China Blocked Marvel?

The China Film Administration, which is affiliated with the Communist Party’s propaganda department, has not explained why Marvel films were blocked.

Several potential reasons have been raised by film industry analysts over the years, including the presence of LGBTQ+ characters and symbols of US patriotism, such as the Statue of Liberty; the hiring of Eternals director Chloé Zhao, who has been chastised for comments she made about her home country in interviews; and rising political tensions between the US and China, a report by the Guardian explains.

Disney had previously declined requests by Chinese censors to remove references to same-sex relationships in films including “Eternals” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”.

Is China Warming Up Back to Hollywood?

Marvel films have previously performed well in China, with the first Black Panther earning $105 million in 2018, and Ant-Man and the Wasp earning $121.2 million.

Black Widow, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder have all been denied release in China since 2019.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was also reportedly denied distribution due to the inclusion of a character with two lesbian mothers, as well as a scene involving a newspaper kiosk featuring Chinese characters for the Epoch Times, a newspaper critical of the Communist Party.

The reintroduction of Marvel films coincides with efforts to repair relations between the United States and China, as well as other indications that China’s government is softening its stance on the private sector, the Guardian reports.

As the government works to resurrect China’s faltering economy, it appears to be winding down its crackdown on the technology sector. Didi, the ride-hailing company that was forced to delist from the New York Stock Exchange last year, was allowed to resume accepting new users this week, the report added.

Authorities have also resumed approvals for new video game sales on Chinese platforms, as well as begun to buy equity shares in Alibaba and Tencent, cementing government control while also signalling a return to stability.

How Did Chinese Fans React

The announcement was well received by Chinese fans.

“It feels surreal… I’ve missed the Marvel universe,” one Weibo user wrote, referring to the massive collection of interconnected franchises that has earned the company billions of dollars worldwide.

“Will they also release the other six Marvel (franchise) instalments that were blocked?” asked another, adding, “Now we can at least escape from our Covid-hit reality.”

The sequel to the 2018 blockbuster “Black Panther,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” opened in theatres worldwide in November.

The third instalment of the Ant-Man and the Wasp franchise, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” will be released in Chinese theatres on the same day it is released in the United States.

A return to China would put an end to Disney’s losses in one of the world’s most important film markets.

According to Box Office Mojo, the first Black Panther film grossed $105 million in China, while the second Ant-Man film grossed $121 million.

With inputs from AFP

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