"Doctor Strange 2" will not be released in China
Marvel Studios film "Dr. Strange 2: Into the Multiverse of Madness," most likely will not be released in China. And, as noted by sources familiar with the situation, this could happen not only because of scenes with characters of non-traditional sexual orientation.
In one of the episodes of the film, shown in the trailer, the characters appear at a newsstand where the badges of Epoch Times, an international multilingual newspaper and media company which opposes the Communist Party of China, are clearly visible. The discussion of these obvious hints has already sparked a storm of outrage on Chinese social media, a fact that the state censors cannot ignore.
Disney has not yet commented on the situation, but it is clear that company executives are aware of it. There is also no doubt that there were a lot of expectations for "Doctor Strange 2", because its predecessor has collected 109 million dollars at the box office in China.
Recall that previously other Marvel Comics movies also failed to get distribution approvals in China, among them were "Black Widow," "Forevermore" and "Spider-Man 3: No Way Home." Only for the latter it didn't matter much, as it achieved great financial success even without a screening in China.