China’s Ban on Marvel Films Ends After 3+ Years

Movie theaters in China will screen new Marvel films for the first time in over three years next month, ending an unofficial ban on the comic book blockbusters. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—which was released around the world in November—will play in China on Feb. 7, with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania arriving on Feb. 17, the same day it will start playing in U.S. movie theaters. The surprise release dates, which were announced by Marvel’s Chinese social media accounts, will be the first Marvel showings in China since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The China Film Administration, which is part of the CCP’s propaganda department, never explained why Marvel films had been prohibited since mid-2019.