Marvel films Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals may not see the end of the rainbow as virus closes cinemas
- Scarlett Johansson vehicle Black Widow, which entered cinemas in other parts of the world early last month, remains unreleased in China
- Two other Marvel films, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals, remain unreleased amid worsening China-US relations and rising jingoism
The fate of Marvel Studios’ three biggest superhero films in 2021 remains uncertain in mainland China as the country relaunched strict control measures to battle its widest Covid-19 outbreak since Wuhan.
There has been no sign of release yet for Black Widow , which entered cinemas in other parts of the world early last month, as public spaces in many regions are closed to curb the spread of the Delta variant, according to a number of Chinese cinema chains.
Two other Marvel films, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals, which are to be released internationally in September and November respectively, may never see the light of day in China either.
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow, the first Marvel film Disney has brought to cinemas in over two years, had already been delayed for a year due to the pandemic before its international release a month ago. And there’s still no timetable at Chinese cinemas.
“We have no idea whether these films are approved at all. It’s really unpredictable, especially as the Covid-19 outbreak continues,” said a staff worker at a leading theatre chain China Film Stellar.