Film title changes are a common practice in foreign markets, which Marvel Studios continued with the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally returned to China last year. This began with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being retitled to 黑豹2 aka Black Panther 2; it also included the subtitle Long Live Wakanda. The priority seemed to make it clear it was a direct sequel.
This isn't entirely consistent, as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania wasn't re-titled and kept the original intact. However, alternatives were seemingly still used in 蟻人3 aka Ant-Man 3, and even on the subtitle, which translated to Quantum Frenzy.
Title Change in China for The Marvels
A new poster for The Marvels in China revealed that the Captain Marvel sequel will be released under the title of 惊奇队长2, which translates to Captain Marvel 2.
Despite the unconventional naming of the sequel, it represents how it would be a team-up between Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau.
For marketing, a title like this in foreign markets would likely be lost in translation or need to be clarified for audiences.
Why This Is a Good Decision for Captain Marvel Sequel
Captain Marvel made an impressive $155 million in China, making it an enormously important territory. However, recent films in Phase 5 haven't faired as well in China.
Black Panther made just over $105 million, while its sequel, Wakanda Forever, earned a pitiful $15.5 million. Ant-Man and the Wasp ended its run with an even higher $120 million, but Quantumania fell just as hard with $39 million at the Chinese box office.
Wakanda Forever at the Chinese box office ended with 85% less earnings than its predecessor, while Quantumania was down 67.5%. If this pattern continues, The Marvels will be lucky to earn over $39 million.
Changing the sequel title to be less clever and more concise was a decision no doubt made to help the box office in China, but Marvel Studios might have to stop hoping to get the same numbers it did years ago.
The Marvels will be released in theaters on November 10.
