‘Black Panther 2’, ‘Ant-Man 3’ secure first Marvel releases in China since 2019

Marvel features Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania have secured theatrical release dates in China – a first for the Disney-owned superhero studio in more than three years.

Marvel shared the news via its Weibo social media account today (January 17) with Chinese posters for both features: a February 7 date on Black Panther 2, which began its global rollout on November 9; and February 17 for Ant-Man 3, day-and-date with North America.

The post on the Marvel Studios account said: “See you on the big screen,” with ‘Marvel’ trending highly on the social media platform.

It marks the first title from the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to receive a theatrical release in China since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, with a haul of more than $200m taking its worldwide box office total to $1.1bn for Sony/Marvel. The last Disney/Marvel title to secure a China release was Avengers: Endgame, which grossed $664m earlier in 2019.

MCU films that missed out on a lucrative release in China include Thor: Love And Thunder, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Black Widow, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Sequel Ant-Man and The Wasp grossed more than $121m in China in 2018 while the first Black Panther topped $105M earlier that same year.

The MCU release dates continue revived interest in US tentpole titles, following a year that saw box office drop more than 36% in China.

The 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2021 and last year’s National Congress – the party’s most important political event of the decade – are believed to be influencing factors in the tightening of controls over films cleared for release.

With those national events over, US titles are making their return. Last year saw Jurassic World Dominion secure a release in China, where it grossed $232.5m (RMB1.59bn).

Further confidence came later in the year when China’s Film Bureau cleared James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way Of Water for release on December 16. It has earned $220m in China after a month on release. It has also received permission to continue screening for an additional month, extending into China’s Lunar New Year holiday when local titles are usually given screen space.

US studios will now be tracking how the two Marvel titles perform in the hope of tapping back into China’s vast exhibition infrastructure and film-loving public.

• China box office fell 36% to $4.4bn in 2022 amid Covid-related cinema closures