*

Thunderbolts* first U.S. film to open in China since new

trade

war began

*

China has long limited Hollywood releases but this month

announced further curbs

*

Even before latest curbs, Chinese audiences seen shifting

away

from U.S. movies

By Casey Hall and Sophie Yu

SHANGHAI, April 30 (Reuters) - New Disney movie

Thunderbolts* is poised to test Chinese appetite for Hollywood

blockbusters as it opens in cinemas around China on Wednesday,

making it the first American film to hit movie theatres in the

country since a new trade war began.

The film, a part of the sprawling Marvel franchise, was

approved for release in China before Washington and Beijing

slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other.

That meant the movie, which sees an unconventional band of

antiheroes brought together to combat a supervillain, escaped a

decision by China to curb Hollywood imports earlier this month

as part of its retaliation against the United States.

In 2024, a total of 42 American films were released in

China, but Chinese audiences have been gravitating away from

Hollywood for some time.

Releases so far in 2025 have included Snow White, which made

9 million yuan ($1.24 million) at the Chinese box office and

Captain America: Brave New World which pulled in 104 million

yuan.

In comparison, 2025 box office leader Ne Zha 2 has grossed

more than 7 billion yuan in its home market.

"It's hard to remember the last American film I watched..."

said Beijing resident Pan Lei, a frequent cinema-goer. "I think

it should be Dune, which was four years ago."

Pan, 49, said that American films like the Marvel movie

franchise have been standard fare for nearly 20 years, and any

novelty of their production and visual effects has largely worn

off.

"I miss the days when we could watch wonderful Hollywood

films like Titanic, Speed, True Lies and Iron Man in cinemas,"

he said, adding: "I think the younger generation doesn't share

the same idea of Hollywood as my generation."

While Chinese moviegoers around Pan's age were once

accustomed to Hollywood films dominating China's box office, the

rapid development of a homegrown industry has seen domestic

films with local stars and specifically Chinese stories rise to

supplant them over the past decade.

Since 2015, Chinese films have ranked number one at the

local box office each year, while the number of foreign films at

the top of the box office takings have become rarer.

Even without a new trade war and a rise in geopolitical

tensions between the United States and China, it's doubtful

Hollywood films will ever be able to regain their once-dominant

position in the Chinese market, analysts say.

"China will continue to dominate its home market," said

Stanley Rosen, professor of political science at the University

of Southern California. "China has learned a lot from Hollywood

- for example, from their earlier collaboration with DreamWorks

in Shanghai - and simply does not need the Hollywood

blockbusters anymore."

"Only two Hollywood films made over $100 million in China

last year, and I don't expect any will do so this year," he

added.

($1 = 7.2645 Chinese yuan renminbi)