Spider-Man: No Way Home rocketed past the billion-dollar mark at the box office in the space of just twelve days, which is an incredible feat under any circumstances, but it’s even more notable for the fact it managed to hit those heights without scoring a release in China.
The world’s biggest market for cinema has proven hugely lucrative for Marvel adaptations dating back over a decade, but Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and No Way Home have been left on the outside looking in.
However, smash hit family-friendly animation PAW Patrol: The Movie has been given the green light for a Chinese release, and will hit local theaters on January 14, a week after Disney’s acclaimed Encanto. PAW Patrol: The Movie has already earned $130 million globally against a $26 million budget with a sequel set for an October 2023 debut, so it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things whether or not it sinks or swims in China.
The censorship board have shut out a huge number of American-backed titles this year, and some of the films to make it through have wound up bombing hard when they eventually did arrive, including Jungle Cruise and Snake Eyes, so a pair of popular animated efforts aren’t going to rock the boat to any noticeable degree.
