AFP
NOS News•
China is going to screen Marvel’s popular superhero films in cinemas for the first time in just under four years. Starting next month, the latest movies from both Black Panther if Ant-Man to see in the country.
Marvel itself announced the news on the Chinese Twitter variant Weibo. The newest Black Panthermovie has been in cinemas around the world for a few months now. The premiere of the new Ant-Manfilm in China coincides with the premiere in the US.
China last allowed a Marvel movie in July 2019, with Spider-Man: Far from Home. After that, the superhero movies were denied. An explanation for this has never been given by the authorities.
Cultural and political reasons
Film media speculate that the films were banned for cultural and political reasons. For example, Marvel owner Disney refused requests from countries for LGBTI references in films such as Eternals in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness to delete.
Also according to Variety in Deadline a combination of the tensions between China and the US, the 20th Party Congress last year and the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party in 2021 play a role.
Avatar
Disney lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to the loss of access to the Chinese market.
The first hint that regulators in China were starting to loosen up on Hollywood films came late last year, when it emerged that the latest Avatar-film The Way of Water was allowed to run in Chinese cinemas. After that, the film was allowed to be shown for a month longer.
