After four years of absence, Marvel superheroes return to the big screen this Tuesday in China, with the film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.

The films of Marvel Studios, owned by U.S. giant Disney, had disappeared from Chinese theaters after the release of “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in July 2019.

Beijing only authorizes the broadcasting of several dozen foreign feature films a year.

For Marvel blockbusters, very popular in the Asian giant, this market is crucial: the Chinese theatrical release of the first Black Panther series generated $105 million.

The Chinese authorities have never explained why the Marvel films disappeared from theaters since 2019.

During this period, Disney refused to obey the censors, who demanded the removal of any reference to homosexual relationships in Marvel films, such as in “Eternals” in 2021 and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” in 2022.

But the U.S. giant has also been accused of collaborating too much with the authorities in Beijing.

Following the release of a remake of “Mulan”, as some scenes had been shot in the controversial region of Xinjiang (the scene of attacks and the epicenter of accusations against Beijing of violating the human rights of the Muslim population), calls for a boycott were launched, especially in Western countries.

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