China lifts ban on Marvel

A still from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Pics/Getty Images, Instagram

China has lifted its unofficial ban on Marvel titles, setting release dates for two major superhero tentpoles, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which was released everywhere else in the world last November, will open in China on February 7. Shortly after, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania will be released on February 17, the same day the sequel touches down in the US and the UK.

The dates were released via Marvel's Chinese social media accounts. Those movies will be the first Marvel adventures to play in China since 2019's Avengers: Endgame, which made a staggering $632 million in the territory, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, which brought in $198 million in the country. In the past, Marvel movies have been extremely popular in China, with Black Panther grossing $105 million and Ant-Man And The Wasp earning $121 million in the country.

Also Read: 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' first look unveiled at Comic-Con, MODOK makes MCU debut

It's not clear why recent titles from Disney and other major studios have been denied release in China. But it is most likely sabre rattling directed towards the US during a period of increased tensions, especially with jingoistic political events like the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party and the 20th National Congress happening in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever