Why most Chinese fans of American superhero movies are girls: A gendered local fandom of a global Hollywood icon

Abstract

American superhero movies are generally perceived as primarily targeted at a male audience. In China, however, females far outnumber males in the genre’s fan community. This phenomenon suggests that a popular text’s local negotiation can take on different paths when the text is consumed transnationally. To explore this process, this study examines how Chinese consumers of the Marvel franchise negotiate their gendered fandom in a global context. Drawing from in-depth interviews with 29 Chinese fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this study considers the power dynamics at work in the franchise’s global spread and local consumption.