Ant-Man recently rose to number one position at the international box office, thanks to the opening weekend of $43.5M in China and a 3-day weekend haul of $43.3M in the Middle Kingdom. Ant-Man becomes the second biggest Marvel/Disney superhero flick in China after Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Seeing the growing popularity in China, Marvel representatives told in an event promoting the release of Ant-Man in China that it is developing Chinese characters to add to its roster of heroes and villains. According to a report by the Xinhua News Agency, Marvel’s Manager of Licensed Publishing Jeffrey Reingold and VP of Animation Steve Wacker informed that in addition to bringing its already-existing catalog of characters to China, Marvel is working on adding new, Chinese characters to its universe.
“We have felt the passion of Chinese fans,” Reingold said. “As long as there is a demand in the market, it is possible to add Chinese elements and culture to Marvel products and create Chinese heroes and stories.”
Currently, Marvel Comics is developing and creating Chinese characters to cater to the tastes of the emerging market. According to Wacker, Iron Fist comic, already features many elements of Chinese culture and symbolism.