China Lifts Ban on Marvel Movies After 3 Years, Two of them to Get Released in February

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania to release in China in February as the nation lifts the ban on Marvel movies.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: January 19, 2023

China is known to ban not just Marvel movies but social media platforms (YouTube and WhatsApp) from the United States for unknown reasons. While the ban was not outrightly official in China over Marvel movies, none of the residents could see a release in cinema halls these films for the last three years. But in a surprise move, the ban on Marvel movies will be lifted from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, as they are set to release on 7 February and 17 February, respectively.

The theatrical release of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania occurs on the same date even in the United States and the United Kingdom. Disney has been a leading entertainment provider in China. But the last Marvel movie that was released in the country was Avengers End Game 2019. It went on to earn USD 632 million. However, the next 3 years saw a downturn for any earnings by Disney in China through Marvel movies, accumulating losses of millions due to the ban. Other movies such as Ant-Man and the Wasp and Black Panther grossed $121 million and $105 million in China.

The CFA (China Film Administration) is a part of the government and authorized to either accept or reject the release of foreign films. However, the government led by Xi Jinping can ban foreign movies if they want to. For instance, as the Winnie the Pooh character resembles Xi Jinping as per several memes, the character is banned in China. Though China banned certain Marvel movies from screening in its nation, no particular reason was given for the move, apart from the assumption of rivalry between the US and China.

However, experts think that the representation of LGBTQ+ characters, not being that sensitive towards Asians in their movies, symbols of US patriotism such as the Statue of Liberty, and more importantly, the hiring of Chloé Zhao (who has been criticized in China openly), as the director of the movie Eternals. But with the ban on Marvel movies lifted in China, Disney will regain its status of being the second-largest market in the world for theatre shows.