Photo Credit: Marvel Studios
The surprising reason why Spider-Man: No Way Home wasn’t released in China has been revealed.
Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: No Way Home was released in 2021. Directed by Jon Watts, the third film in the MCU Spider-Man series sees Tom Holland reprise his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, while Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Benedict Cumberbatch also star as Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson, Ned Leeds, and Dr. Stephen Strange.
Why wasn’t Spider-Man: No Way Home released in China?
No Way Home was a massive hit at the box office, as it made approximately $1.9 billion globally. The film, however, was not released in China, and Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman has an explanation as to why.
Speaking on The Town with Matt Belloni, Rothman said, “It pisses me off that I have to say this, but [No Way Home] did 1.9 billion. You said 1.9 billion? What’s the matter with two? Well, it didn’t get into China. So, otherwise — in my mind, it’s over two [billion], because I know what we would have done in China. [It was a] small thing. They said, ‘No problem, just cut out the Statue of Liberty.’ Which is where the climax of the movie — that was the request…I really didn’t look forward to sitting there in front of Congress telling them why I cut the Statue of Liberty out at the request of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Regarding what this means for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, also known as Spider-Man 4, Rothman said that there are no shots of the Statue of Liberty in the movie.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives on July 31, 2026. In addition to Holland, Zendaya, and Batalon, the movie stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Michael Mando as Mac Gargan/Scorpion, and Marvin Jones III as Lonnie Lincoln/Tombstone.
Spider-Man: No Way Home, meanwhile, is currently streaming on Disney+.
