Is Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’ Banned In China?

The single-largest overseas film market for Hollywood productions, China, has reportedly banned DC’s most recent superhero movie, ‘Black Adam‘. Starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular hero, the film has earned $200 million and is doing well at the international box office.

There were hopes that the movie will open later this year in China, where it hasn’t yet, to increase its global box office. However, earlier this week, fan forums started to report that it had been banned in China. Here’s the reason why.

‘Black Adam’: International Acclamation

Journalists and critics who saw the movie expressed a variety of opinions. Johnson’s on-screen presence and the action were both welcomed, but the writing and tone raised questions. Some people also mentioned the post-credits scene of the movie, revealing that it elicited strong reactions from the audience.

The Justice Society of America, comprised of Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, is also introduced in the movie.

At the box office, ‘Black Adam‘ has achieved a milestone. According to Box Office Mojo, its total international revenue has topped $300 million and is currently at $319 million. This is made up of $137 million in the United States and $182 million abroad. Despite all these achievements, the movie also endured a small amount of loss for being banned from releasing in the overseas film market for Hollywood productions – China.

Why Was The DC Film Banned In China?

The rumor that ‘Black Adam‘ will not be allowed in Chinese theatres first surfaced on the blog BoxOfficeTheory.com. A person going by the username of Isaac Newton made the statement. Apparently, Pierce Brosnan was interviewed by GQ magazine last month. There he shared a story about a meeting he once had with the Dalai Lama. This particular statement led to the ban.

It has happened before in China that a movie was effectively banned. The same thing happened to ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘, ‘Shang-Chi in the Legend of the Ten Rings‘, ‘Top Gun Maverick‘, etc

Although Dalai Lama just wants true autonomy for his seized homeland in accordance with China’s constitutional protections for ethnic minority regions, Beijing brands him as a separatist. The action is a part of the Chinese government’s efforts to have all mentions of Tibet or its inhabitants eliminated from the media.

Nevertheless, this ban will certainly have an impact on the box office collection of ‘Black Adam‘. But so far, the movie is doing great.