After almost four years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe film series will return to China in February. This has been a long-awaited event.
Analysts at the box office are concerned that piracy and COVID might affect the amount of money made by movies in China. In February, Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe will get released in China for the first time. This will make Disney’s comic book cinematic universe has secured a release in the nation.
Both “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” are scheduled to be released in Chinese cinemas. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will debut in Chinese theatres.
On February 7, 2023, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be released in Chinese cinemas, while on February 17, 2023, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” will make its debut there. The reopening of the Chinese market is likely to be beneficial to Disney over the long term; however, box office analysts are concerned that the expected soon releases in February may not result in significant increases in ticket sales as a result of increased online piracy and a recent uptick in COVID usage.
Hollywood blockbusters, particularly those associated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have relied solely on China as an important distribution base in recent years. Since the release of “The Avengers” in 2012, the Chinese market has consistently been Marvel Studios’ second-highest-grossing box office market, only trailing the United States and Canada.
According to Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, “It’s a welcome dose of positive news for Disney and the industry as a whole evaluating how much money has been left on the table for recent Marvel films.” “Global releases can’t be considered genuinely global when such a significant market is not included.”
“Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which was released in 2019, was the most last Marvel movie to ever be released in China. In 2021, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” became the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) not to be granted approval for transmission in the country, and it was only the second film in the region not to be released. This marked the beginning of the de facto ban on the release of MCU films in the region. The casting choices for the movie, as well as people’s impressions of the comic book series that the movie “Shang-Chi” is based on, were the root of the dispute.
China restores access to Marvel films, announces release dates for Black Panther and Ant-Man sequels
Watch the official trailer of Black Panther:
The premiere of “Black Widow” in 2021 overlapped with a blackout period in China, during which the nation does not allow any foreign films to be shown in cinemas but keeps those theatres available for local movies. As a result, despite the fact that it was granted permission for distribution, it was never shown in cinemas in China. Moreover, the films “Eternals,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” as well as the Sony-Disney coproduction “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” were denied permission to be released in China.
This trend will be broken with the release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” However, since it was not accessible to people in China until November when it was launched in other regions, there was probably a significant increase in the amount of piracy that occurred online. Even while viewers could still attend screenings, it is possible that the picture may not have had the same amount of ticket sales if it had been released earlier in the year.
As the Coronavirus once again wreaks havoc on the area after the government withdrew its “zero COVID” policy, there are also worries about decreased ticket sales coming from China. The market was anticipated to be a significant contributor to income for new movies such as Disney and James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” but it has fallen short of expectations in that regard.
China is now responsible for around 11% of the film’s total worldwide revenue, which amounts to approximately $214 million. To put it into perspective, throughout its run in 2009 and 2010, the original “Avatar” movie brought in around $250 million from ticket sales.
If the COVID wave dies down in the area, “Quantumania” may see an increase in ticket sales, which would be very welcome. China contributed 20% of the total box office revenue for each of the past two Ant-Man standalone movies.
Additionally, despite the fact that past Ant-Man films have brought in lesser worldwide box office figures in contrast to other movies in the MCU, 2015’s “Ant-Man” got $519 million, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” bagged $622 million at the box office. The film is believed that “Quantumania” would draw in a bigger number of moviegoers since it contains Kang, the newest main nemesis to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jonathan Majors, who starred in “Lovecraft Country,” will portray Kang, the next overarching villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is anticipated that Kang will continue to pose a significant risk throughout the Multiverse Saga, which will include phases four, five, and six of the brand. The movie “Loki” on Disney+ was where we were first exposed to him.
A senior media analyst at Comscore named Paul Dergarabedian believes that “The feature film debut of one of the most dynamic and exciting characters in the MCU, Kang the Conqueror in the film might boost its potential worldwide revenue into the realm of $1 billion,” which would be a first for “Ant-Man” films.
“And with the addition of the China market, the planets could align to make ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ the first international mega-hit of 2023,” says the author. “Quantumania” is the name of the sequel to the film “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ official trailer is available in given below link:
