China is all set to reembrace superhero films as it reopens to Hollywood itself. One of the films to profit from this is going to be the sequel to the very popular Shazam! The first film came out in 2019 and made a staggering $366 million worldwide. It was well received in China, where the box office allowed the film to make a total of around $43 million. This was before China closed its doors to Hollywood imports. Censorship is a major issue when it comes to film and television in China. Hollywood has been accused of not respecting Chinese customs and values in the past, which led to China stopping the import of films to a great degree.

Reopening For Hollywood

However, recently, China reopened its theatres for Hollywood films. This also included the lifting of a 2-year ban on Marvel films. So Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will also be released in China on 7th February 2023. Dwayne Johnson’s ambitious portrayal of Black Adam for DC, however, won’t be finding an audience in China. Now all that remains is an official announcement by regulators for Shazam! Fury of the Gods’. 

The film is expected to drop in Chinese theatres on the same day as the North-American ones, that is, 17th March. The sequel will see Zachary Levi once again dawn the famous red suit of kid-turned-superhero Shazam to fight off Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler. The three famous actresses will play goddesses. Hespera, Calypso, and Antaeus, the three daughters of Atlas. 

The film will see Billy Batson (played by Levi and Asher Angel) and his super-powered foster siblings work together to fight off the gods. The Shazam sequel isn’t the only film expected to work well with China. Recently, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water made just around the ballpark of $243 million in China, which is a massive number compared to all the other recent releases. Given Cameron’s popularity, it is no surprise that the film did so well.