Marvel and Walt Disney seem to be finally getting a break in China. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, two of the studio’s superhero tentpoles, have both secured China release dates, breaking a de facto three-and-a-half-year export ban on all Marvel film releases in the nation. This pattern cost Disney hundreds of millions in potential ticket sales.
The sequel to Black Panther 2, which was released in the rest of the world in November, will debut in China on February 7 and Ant-Man 3 will follow on February 17, the same day as North America.
Tuesday, Marvel announced the unexpected news via its official social media platforms in China. As the last approved theatrical releases from the studio were Spider-Man: Far from Home and Avengers: Endgame, far back in early/mid-2019, the two films will be the first of Marvel’s Phase 4 to screen in China. They will also examine how the lack of MCU films over the previous several months has affected fan perception of the series.
Over $121.2 million was made by Ant-Man and The Wasp in China in 2018, and $105 million was made by the first Black Panther during that same year.
Black Widow, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder were just a few of the Marvel movies that had their Chinese releases halted in recent months. Regulators, as usual, never formally said why the movies were refused entrance, leaving the business and commentators to guess.
On February 7, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be made available, while on February 17, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be released in theatres. After Spider-Man: Far From Home in June 2019 and Avengers: Endgame earlier the same year, this will be the first Marvel film to feature in China.
