'The Batman' will soon be released in China, a stark contrast to Marvel movies that have been shut out during the pandemic

• DC and Warner Bros.' "The Batman" is set to be released in China on March 18.
• Marvel movies have been shut out of the region during the pandemic.

"The Batman," DC and Warner Bros.' reboot of the superhero franchise, opened over the weekend with $134 million in the US. It's the second-best opening since the pandemic began behind "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

Globally, the movie has earned $258 million so far. That's without the world's biggest theatrical market China, where it's set for release on March 18.

It's a stark contrast to the superhero competition. Marvel movies have been shut out of China since the pandemic began, including Disney's "Black Widow," "Shang-Chi," and "Eternals," as well as Sony's "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" and "No Way Home."

"No Way Home" was approved in the region by China's film administration, but has yet to receive a release date. Even so, the movie was the biggest release of 2021 and has grossed $1.8 billion worldwide.

Marvel movies have typically performed well in China. "Avengers: Endgame" is the highest-grossing Hollywood release there of all time. But movies like "Shang-Chi" and "Eternals" were met with controversy there, and it's unclear why the others did not receive release dates.

"Shang-Chi" star Simu Liu called China a "third world" country in a 2017 interview that resurfaced on Chinese social media last year. And "Eternals" director Chloé Zhao, who was born in China, faced backlash from Chinese nationalists over a 2013 interview in which she said "there are lies everywhere" in China.

As China looks to grow its film business, experts have predicted that the country's film administration would be more selective about the foreign films it approves for release. Aynne Kokas, a media studies professor at the University of Virginia and the author of the book "Hollywood Made in China," previously told Insider that the movies that are approved would likely face a "tighter regulatory environment."

The film administration last year laid out its five-year plan for China's film industry, including that local Chinese productions should account for at least 55% of the box office in a year. The Chinese war film "The Battle of Lake Changjin" was the second-biggest movie of 2021 behind "No Way Home," earning nearly all of its $902 million from China alone.

As for "The Batman," Hollywood releases that have been approved in China since the pandemic began have largely underperformed. But with the movie getting an exclusive theatrical release, the piracy that hurt Warner Bros. releases last year may not be as big of an issue.

Recent Batman comparisons in China, according to Box Office Mojo, include:

• "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" — $95 million total
• "The Dark Knight Rises" — $52 million total