Variety is reporting that Spider-Man: No Way Home looks set to become the first Phase 4 MCU movie to be released in China. Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings failed to make it through the country's strict censorship and screening approvals, though the latter was seemingly doomed from the start after past comments from star Simu Liu resurfaced.
Eternals also failed to make it to the Middle Kingdom because of comments made by director Chloé Zhao over a decade ago that were similarly deemed offensive by nationalist critics.
Needless to say, this is a huge win for both Sony Pictures and the Disney-owned Marvel Studios now the latter has a financial stake in the wall-crawler's big screen solo adventures. Movies have been drawing big crowds in China, so the Phase 4 slate being snubbed thus far has definitely hurt.
Spider-Man: Far From Home grossed $199 million in China, so there's a very good chance we could see No Way Home become the first movie in this pandemic era to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. If nothing else, this pretty much guarantees the threequel is going to be a major hit.
"For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero," reads the movie's synopsis. "When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man."
Among the film's confirmed cast members are Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, J. B. Smoove, Benedict Wong, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx.
Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives in U.S. and UK theaters on December 17.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.