‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ set to lose millions in potential revenue as China release prospects dim

Nearly a week after its successful global release, Marvel Studios’

The fourth installment of the Thor franchise and the latest in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is at risk of being denied approval by Chinese film regulators purportedly due to its LGBTQ content.

“Thor 4” will be the seventh consecutive Marvel superhero movie to be blocked in China, according to sources from two major cinema chains in China who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter.

Pixar’s “Lightyear,” which was also recently denied a release in China, is believed to have been blocked due to a scene involving a same-gender kiss.

Chinese regulators have previously struck out content that involved LGBTQ themes in both movies and TV shows.

The new Thor film is believed to be encountering resistance from Chinese censors due to its known LGBTQ characters.

China, which is now the second-largest film market in the world – second only to the U.S. –added $112 million to the global revenue of “Thor: Ragnarok” back in 2017.

The MCU films that China has blocked thus far include “Black Widow,” “Eternals,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”

“Doctor Strange 2,” which was released on May 5, included LGBTQ character America Chavez and a pro-Taiwan newspaper briefly spotted in a city magazine kiosk.

“Thor 4” is expected to suffer the same fate as Disney has recently maintained a stance to not remove gay references and content in its films just to appease government censors in international markets.

Featured Image via Marvel Entertainment

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