A report from China has suggested that two Marvel movies, “Eternals” and “Shang-Chi” may not be released in the country.
In a news about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four films, Channel CCTV6 aired a list of US release dates for eight of the ten scheduled titles. It’s worth mentioning that they omitted “Eternals” and “Shang-Chi”.
This omission may seem minor, but if you think about it carefully, the channel is under the control of China’s powerful propaganda department. This is the body that has the final say on film approvals.
Chinese film censorship
The Chinese film market is not comfortable. All foreign-produced films that want to be released in Chinese theaters must receive government approval and pass censorship. In addition, there are separate quotas for films that are imported on the condition that they charge a flat fee, and Hollywood films that must be more profitable through a state-owned distributor.
While the China Movie Channel report is not definitive proof that these two titles will be banned in the Chinese market, ignoring them could be a sign that something is up. to Chinese officials.
Marvel “Shang-Chi” and “Eternals” are hard to enter China
Both films have a direct connection to China. “Shang-Chi” will mark the debut of Marvel’s first Asian superhero, China-born Simu Liu, along with Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh, both well-known names in China. “Eternals” is the first Marvel hit to be directed by a woman of color – Oscar-winning Chinese Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”).
The two films that were expected to resonate the most with Chinese audiences, are now films facing censorship concerns. This shows a certain difficulty in penetrating the world’s largest film market.
Directed by Chloe Zhao
The ban rate is clearly higher when it comes to “Eternals”, due to Chloe Zhao’s position as a well-known figure in China. A ban on “Eternals” would be shocking but not unreasonable, given the recent nationalist backlash that has seen Zhao’s name and achievements removed from the majority of Chinese websites.
Character Fu Manchu
The reason Shang-Chi might be banned is because of the character Fu Manchu. This is a character with many racist details, appearing in the Shang-Chi comic. Marvel Studios changed this person to Wenwu, based on The Mandarin. However, many Chinese social media users are not interested. The official newspaper of the Chinese Youth Union has warned about this character since 2019.
Eternals will launch in the US on September 3. Shang-Chi will launch on November 5, 2021.
Hong Phat – Crazy Movies
According to Variety
PostViews:
2.245
