I think its amazing what Doctor Strange did without China. 950 million is super impressive. Thats like 300 million more than the first one and that one was released in China. What Thor 4 has done is also very good. Its going to pass Thor 3 which made 315 million domestic. But Thor 3 made like 140 million dollars in China and Russia alone. Personally what Doctor Strange managed without China and Russia is remarkable. Thor 4 is just doing well. People are just so used what these movies do its like why are they not all making a billion now. I have said it many times.
7 marvel movies have made a billion without China
4 avengers movies
Black Panther
No Way home
Iron Man 3
Here is something i found and just read online about marvel/disney and china recently.
Thor: Love and Thunder is the sixth MCU film in a row shut out of China
https://winteriscoming.net/2022/07/1...hut-out-china/
Thor: Love and Thunder is the latest Marvel Studios joint not to premiere in China, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In this case, Chinese censors haven’t approved the LGBT+ content. That’s similar to the reason they gave for not releasing Lightyear in the region. That’s in line with China’s general media policy against all things gay; last year, China’s National Radio and Television Administration told TV broadcasters to “resolutely put an end to sissy men and other abnormal aesthetics.” Super.
That said, it seems like China has a bone to pick with Disney and Marvel in particular. While superhero films like The Batman have released in China, the Chinese Communist Party hasn’t let a Marvel movie through since Avengers: Endgame, which made over $600 million in Chinese theaters, so it’s not like there isn’t an audience for this stuff in the region.
China started the Marvel blockade with Black Widow. We don’t know exactly why, but it might have something to do with that film not depicting Communism in the best light. Marvel followed up that movie with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals; in the first case, star Simu Liu made comments critical of China. In the second case, director Chloé Zhao did. That’s enough for the CCP to blackball a movie studio.
China’s long history of banning movies because it feels like it
According to USC professor and China expert Stanley Rosen, that’s par for the course for the CCP. For instance, in 1997, MGM released a Richard Gere movie called Red Corner that featured corruption in the Chinese government as part of its plot. Rather than just ban the movie, China banned everything from MGM. “If they could do that in 1997, they can certainly do that today as they’re a lot better off,” Rosen told Deadline. “You do one film that China doesn’t like, and none of your films are shown in China.”
And China’s excuses for keeping Marvel movies out have gotten pretty flimsy. For instance, per Insider, they justified blocking Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness because a newspaper kiosk in the background of one scene had a copy of the The Epoch Times, a paper critical of China. For Spider-Man: No Way Home, the CCP wanted to studio to remove the Statue of Liberty, which…what? The whole climax takes place there.
Basically, the authoritarians who run China are mad at Marvel and will find reasons to block their movies no matter what…until they don’t; it’s hard to tell when they might start or stop anything. Marvel hasn’t been feeling too much pain over it; Thor: Love and Thunder had a smashing opening weekend and No Way Home became one of the highest-grossing movies in history. Given this volatility, Hollywood studios just aren’t counting on Chinese box office at all. “[A]nything from China is upside,” a source told Deadline. “You plan for nothing, and if you get it, good.”
"Dedra Meero is not just a woman in a men’s world, but a fascist in a world of fascists.” - Denise Gough
China and the MCU's Long Complicated History
The MCU has benefited greatly from China's box office, but with censorship issues and all Phase 4 movies denied release, what does the future hold?
https://movieweb.com/chinese-censorship-in-the-mcu/
China Gross
The Avengers $80,563,081
Age of Ultron $240,110,000
Infinity War $359,543,153
Endgame $629,100,298
To be honest if I was the leader of China I would ban Marvel movies from my country too. With each passing Avengers movie the franchise was becoming even more popular I wonder what the kind of effect it had culturally? lol!
Last edited by Tofali; 08-06-2022 at 11:27 AM.
"Dedra Meero is not just a woman in a men’s world, but a fascist in a world of fascists.” - Denise Gough
Marvel Studios CONFIRMS Not all Series & Films will Connect to Bigger Events
Last edited by mace11; 08-06-2022 at 10:37 AM.
Kevin Feige Admits Marvel ‘Didn’t Lay out All of’ Phase 4 of the MCU
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertain...se-4-mcu.html/Following Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel headlined by Kevin Feige, fans finally have an idea of where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. Marvel is calling Phases 4, 5, and 6 of the MCU the Multiverse Saga, and it’s all going to culminate in two new Avengers movies. But before SDCC, fans were unsure of the MCU’s direction, and according to Feige, Marvel didn’t thoroughly plan Phase 4.
Marvel Studios unveiled their plans for Phases 5, 6, and 7 of the MCU
After the MCU wraps up Phase 4, they’ll jump right into Phase 5. And not only did Kevin Feige share Marvel’s plans for Phase 5 at SDCC, but he also revealed what they have in store for Phase 6.
The Phase 5 schedule is:
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — Feb. 17, 2023
What If…? — Spring 2023
Secret Invasion — Spring 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — May 5, 2023
Echo — Summer 2023
Loki Season 2 — Summer 2023
The Marvels — July 28, 2023
Blade — Nov. 3, 2023
Ironheart — Fall 2023
Agatha: Coven of Chaos — Winter 2023/24
Untitled Marvel project — Feb. 16, 2024
Daredevil: Born Again — Spring 2024
Captain America: New World Order — May 3, 2024
Thunderbolts — July 26, 2024
The Phase 6 schedule is:
Fantastic Four — Nov. 8, 2024
Untitled Marvel project — Feb. 14, 2025
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty — May 2, 2025
Untitled Marvel project — July 25, 2025
Avengers: Secret Wars — Nov. 7, 2025
Marvel also shared that they’ve started planning MCU: Phase 7, which seems like a far-away dream given that we’re still in Phase 4. There are four dates for Untitled Marvel projects in 2026: Feb. 13, May 1, July 24, and Nov. 6.
Here's Phase 5 of the MCU
Kevin Feige shared the thought process behind MCU: Phase 4
During an interview with ComicBook.com after Marvel’s SDCC panel, Kevin Feige discussed what Marvel learned from planning MCU: Phase 4.
“I think we learn something on every project we do,” the Marvel Studios president explained. “But as we were laying out, even three years ago here laying out Phase 4, which we didn’t lay out all of, but most of, we realized that it’s very different than Phase 1, 2, and 3, that that there are more projects in less years. And therefore, it didn’t seem right. You’re not going to culminate every 10 months in an Avengers movie.”
Feige continued, “And each of the films themselves now have become quite big and are crossover events in many ways. And after, you know, the creative experience we had with Infinity War and Endgame, it felt like it was about capping a saga, saving back-to-back Avengers films for the completion of a saga, and that’s really what we wanted to lay out today.”
As for the importance of the post-credits scenes of MCU: Phase 4, Feige said, “Well, I think the truth is all of the tags are never just about the future. There are tags that are eating shawarma. Captain America saying, ‘You got to learn patience. Sometimes you wait for something not worth it.’ We don’t want everything to feel the same. So some of the tags will connect, some of them won’t. Some of the films and shows will connect; some of them won’t.”
He added, “I think it’s just as important that we can have standalone introductory stories like Ms. Marvel, like Moon Knight, in addition to things that interconnect and build towards the larger story.”
“A lot of what we’ve been doing has been building to the larger story,” Feige revealed. “Obviously, with The Kang Dynasty and the Multiverse Saga and now I think people will, I hope, come along for the ride both where it’s on an express train to the finale and also when it’s as fun as many of our Phase 1, 2, and 3 films were.”
What projects are left in MCU: Phase 4?
There are only three projects left in MCU: Phase 4 — one movie and three Disney+ series.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres in theaters on Nov. 11, and the highly anticipated sequel will focus on the Wakandans reeling from King T’Challa’s death. And based on the trailer, someone will take on the mantle of the Black Panther. But Marvel has yet to reveal their identity.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Aug. 17 on Disney+, and it will consist of nine episodes. The series will introduce fans to Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, Bruce Banner’s cousin.
An Untitled Halloween special will air on Disney+ in October. Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly will star in the special, and many fans believe Bernal will play Werewolf by Night.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special premieres in December. James Gunn directed the special, and the Guardians of the Galaxy cast, including Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis.
If she is in the directors chair, that means the franchise is her 'baby' as much as GotG is Gunn's and the last two Thor movies have been Taika Waititi's
If there is a sequel I think she will still be involved but Marvel will probably be more hands on to make it stand out. Like they might want more action or cosmic drama in the sequel, maybe more humor.
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It seems like the go-to fix for Marvel Studios is to just inject more humor and action, although I wouldn't really want to see that.
It seems like audiences are starting to get tired of the constant quips.
Thor had Ragnarok and Endgame, those were two back to back movies 2-3 years ago that showcased the character very well and should have increased the anticipation for ppl to watch Love and Thunder. Maybe it was the inclusion of Hulk in Ragnarok that made the difference like Wanda did for MoM and Jane Foster didn't do for Love and Thunder. We'll never know what exactly contributes to a movie over or underperforming.
I just need Marvel Studio to stop giving these auteur directors free reign lol
"Dedra Meero is not just a woman in a men’s world, but a fascist in a world of fascists.” - Denise Gough
There's also the possibility that Love and Thunder did less well because Multiverse of Madness was so divisive.
Of course that's more what I would like to be true, nothing I can prove, but it is true that Multiverse of Madness had so much advance anticipation that it seemed on track to make a billion even without China and Russia, but word of mouth was not great and its theatrical run ran out of steam very quickly.
At the very least it didn't provide the hype for the next movie the way No Way Home got people looking forward to seeing the multiverse story continued in Multiverse of Madness (only to find it had little to do with the multiverse and the cameos were just there for a joke).
Wakanda Forever might do better because it has built-in hype and interest, though it'll have to be really good to avoid another big second week drop.