Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is certainly doing it’s part to raise eyebrows. After Saudi Arabia banned the movie over its representation of LGBTQ characters, China follows suit. the People’s Republic of China had already been playing coy with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Lack of a release date and promotional campaigns for the movie had already affected the movie’s PR status in asia’s biggest movie market. Now audiences can finally get some closure, as bitter as it may be. Doctor Strange will not be releasing in China as the country has officially passed a motion to ban it from Chinese theaters.
China Bans Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Chinese Marvel Fans Distraught
The official news came courtesy of Oliver Chen’s twitter handle. Oliver Chen is a renowned Chinese box office analyst and movie critic/expert. He has religiously followed all past events regarding the MCU in the Orient. Now he reports this:
https://twitter.com/OLIVERCHENZ1/status/1519932815663534081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1519932815663534081%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbr.com%2Fchina-bans-doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness%2F
The Chinese authorities haven’t given an official reason for cancellation of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness yet. But the reasons are quite evident. From the very beginning, Doctor Strange 2 has had multiple run-ins with the Chinese over many issues. Some of them are just way too ridiculous to even believe.
Doctor Strange 2: China Cites Anti-CCP Propaganda Concerns
There have been absolutely no movement by Marvel Studios on the Chinese front ever since Far From Home. Many Marvel movies that came after, including Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and the record-breaking Spider-Man: No Way Home, failed to hit Chinese theaters. The latter failed to get even an official release date in the country. Neither Marvel Studios nor Disney cited any official reasons as to why they let the biggest overseas box office market slip away multiple times.
But we may finally have concrete proof as to why the Chinese don’t want Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screen in their country. The movie apparently features a scene showing The Epoch Times, a publication that is thought to be widely against the views of the Chinese Government and the CCP. The social media supporters of the Chinese Communist Party came forward to express their views, claiming that Disney was crossing a line making things too geopolitical for its own taste.
We may never know if that is the official reasons since the Chinese authorities are notorious for being elusive. What we do know is that post the anti-CCP propaganda concerns in Multiverse of Madness, the movie failed to get a release date in China. It takes very little time to put two and two together. The is most likely why our Chinese pals will not get to see Doctor Strange 2.
List Of Countries That Have Banned Doctor Strange 2
Like we said, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been banned in Saudi Arabia and Egypt as well. Although they do have different but equally insane reasons. Saudi Arabia and Egypt denied screening the movie in their theaters because of America Chavez. The LGBTQ+ representation irked both these Middle Eastern nations. So they have decided to permanently blockade the movie from premiering in their countries.
Will Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Lose Money After The China Ban?
That will be a resounding yes. China does have the firepower to make or break a movie. That is the reason why so many movies make it a primary objective to market the movie as much as possible in China. But there is a silver lining. Almost all recent Marvel movies that haven’t been released in China like No Way Home and Shang-Chi have done pretty well, box office wise. Disney is taking a tough stance against media censorship and it is good to see that they are still making enough bucks to keep the naysayers quiet.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases on May 6, 2022.
