‘The Batman’ Will Mark the Return of U.S. Superhero Films to China

Warner Bros.’ The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, has secured a theatrical release date in China on March 18, marking the return of Hollywood superhero movies to the country after an extended drought.

The Batman will be hitting China behind the U.S., where it opens March 4, after releasing in Taiwan and South Korea on March 2. Unlike other recent WarnerMedia tentpoles, however, The Batman won’t be released simultaneously on streamer HBO Max, which will help prevent high-quality pirate copies from reaching China before the movie is in cinemas. WarnerMedia has promised to wait 45 days before putting the new Batman installment on its flagship streaming service.

The release date for the DC title breaks a prolonged streak of China passing on the releases of Hollywood superhero movies. China may be happy they missed The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. But they also missed the last five Marvel blockbusters — Black Widow, Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home — which were all left on the shelf by Chinese regulators, leaving studio insiders to speculate about the reasons and significance of the snubs.

The last U.S. superhero movies that made it to the Chinese box office  were Wonder Woman 1984, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Bloodshot. 

via THR