Is Marvel Inadvertently Setting Up ‘Shang-Chi’ to Fail?
The newest hero of the MCU is set to make his feature film debut in only a few weeks; with the distribution model company has chosen, we ask; Is Marvel inadvertently setting up Shang-Chi to fail?
A lot has been made of the Walt Disney company’s shifting distribution models over much of the last two years; with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down theaters, it was up to studios to find new ways to bring their stories to their audience.
Source: Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Disney faced these issues firsthand with the plethora of releases they had during that 2020 year; Soul, Raya and The Last Dragon, Onward, Mulan, Cruella, and their most vital project, Black Widow.
Disney’s answer to the elimination of theaters was their Disney+ premiere access package; a Disney+ addition that required a $30 fee for fans to watch brand new releases from the comfort of their own home.
Source: bgr.com
Black Widow received this treatment- despite the lawsuit thrust upon the studio because of unfair wages paid to the film’s star, Scarlett Johansson- the new model of distribution seemed to benefit both the studio and the films; as the impact from the lessening theatrical audience was minimized.
For Marvel’s next major film release, however, this is not to be the case.
(L-R): Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek verified that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would receive a 45 day, exclusive theatrical release; noting that this distribution model for the film would be an “interesting experiment,’ for the studio to quality the reception for the film.
The major issue becomes; doesn’t this negatively impact the film? Is viewing Shang-Chi as an “experiment,” cut off the film’s potential at the knees?
Wenwu (Tony Leung) and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021.
Is Marvel inadvertently setting up Shang-Chi to fail? The answer is unfortunately yes.
Shang-Chi’s exclusive theatrical release limits those who are on the fence about seeing the film in general; where fans can no longer choose to view the film in a safe environment and must accept the COVID-related risk of seeing the film in a crowded theatre.
Source: Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
There is also the news of New York City and Los Angeles reportedly opting to require vaccination cards in many of the cities theatres.
This news can be looked at two ways; first, it encourages vaccinated viewers to go see the movie, as they know they’ll be safe and protected with a vaccinated audience.
Source: Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
But these changes still alienate a section of the population who chose not to receive the vaccine; which then hurts the pool of people in two of the nation’s most heavily populated and entertainment-driven cities who could see the film.
All of this doesn’t do the film any favors, and don’t help promote fans to view this film; a film that is already telling the story of one of Marvel Studio’s most underexposed characters.
Shang-Chi has no memorable Marvel comics storyline, he is never really a part of a majorly important team, he never teams up with many well-known characters; he is almost entirely unknown to mainstream fans of the films.
With a character as unknown as Shang-Chi, the film was already beginning at a tougher place than nearly any Marvel film ever developed; fans don’t know who Shang-Chi is as opposed to fans being familiar with Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, or even Ant-Man and Doctor Strange.
Source: Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Time will only tell how these decisions affect the film’s profitability at the box office, and we won’t know how its performance affects the perception of the character of Shang-Chi.
We know one thing; the film’s dedicated and incredibly talented cast and crew have fought through all of the craziness of the past two years in order to bring this film to the public, and we are firmly behind the story and potential of the character of Shang-Chi.
