Spider-Man: No Way Home required massive changes in the film before it could be released in China. Much like other films, the Tom Holland starrer, which became the biggest movie of 2021, was banned in China. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Dark Knight, Joker, Call Me By Your Name, and more have gone through the same ordeal due to the country’s strict film censorship rules.
The most recent film that will not premiere in the world’s biggest market is MCU’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As per one report, the Benedict Cumberbatch starrer contains an ant-Chinese element, which has led to the authorities not clearing the film. Read more about that here.
While it’s not a shocker for Spider-Man: No Way Home to be banned in China, as none of the MCU’s 2021 releases hit the screens there, the reason behind the Tom Holland starrer is quite startling. As per Puck News, Chinese authorities required some major adjustments before the movie could make its way to the silver screen.
The most major condition of them all was the prominence of the Statue of Liberty. The Chinese government asked Sony to remove scenes that had been deemed too “patriotic.” However, the company declined to make any changes to Spider-Man: No Way Home. Though not censoring meant that the studio lost a major chunk of revenue, it soared at the box office without it.
As of now, the film has made $1,892,570,726 globally. It could have crossed the $2 billion mark and then some more if it had premiered in China. Previously, the 1999 film Fight Club featuring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, was decided to be released in the country for the first time.
However, it also faced the harsh censorship rules which demanded the entire ending be changed. Ultimately, the real climax was restored. Also, despite its ban in China, Spider-Man: No Way Home was able to make more than $600 million in profits.