China Brings Marvel Movies 'Black Panther' and 'Ant-Man' Back to Theaters

3 Years and 7 Months Since 'Spider-Man' in 2019

China has lifted the ban on Marvel movies after 3 years and 7 months.

Marvel Studios, a Disney film production company, announced on the 18th (local time) that the movies Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (hereafter 'Black Panther 2') and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (hereafter 'Ant-Man 3') will be released in Chinese cinemas next month.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

The sequel to the popular 2018 film Black Panther, Black Panther 2, was released globally in November last year and surpassed $500 million (618.3 billion KRW) in revenue. It attracted attention domestically with 2.1 million viewers but was not released in China.

China has not screened Marvel movies in local theaters since July 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. The country has not officially disclosed the reasons for not releasing Marvel films such as Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

Previously, China requested Disney to remove LGBTQ+ characters appearing in Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but Disney refused. Some speculate that the Chinese authorities banned Marvel movie screenings due to scenes featuring cast members critical of China and LGBTQ+ characters in Hollywood films.

The first Black Panther earned $105 million (129.1 billion KRW) in China, and Ant-Man 2 generated $121 million (128.8 billion KRW) in sales. With China resuming Marvel movie screenings in local theaters, Disney's revenue in China, the world's largest film market, is expected to increase.

Black Panther 2 will be released in China on the 7th of next month, and Ant-Man 3 will premiere on February 17, the same day as its North American release.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.