Marvel fans criticise Disney for not promoting Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
16 August 2021, 15:14
Watch the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings trailer
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Marvel's first film with an Asian lead.
Marvel fans believe the lack of hype and promotion surrounding upcoming movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings could be because of racism.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings centres on skilled martial artist Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) who is forced to confront his past when he's drawn to the mysterious Ten Rings organisation. It's Marvel's first film with an Asian lead.
The movie will be released in theatres on September 3. And, unlike Black Widow which was released in theatres and on Disney+ Premier Access simultaneously, Shang-Chi won't be available on the platform until it's stopped screening in theatres – around 45 days after its initial release.
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Disney CEO Bob Chapek called Shang-Chi an "interesting experiment" for Disney to test out the new approach to movie releases during a quarterly earnings call on Thursday (Aug 12). Chapek cited "recent signs of increased confidence in moviegoing" despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the theatrical release, Variety reports. He said: "That title was planned on being in a much more healthy theatrical environment."
Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi himself, clapped back at Chapek's statement on Twitter. He tweeted: "We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US."
As well as Chapek's comments, people have noted that the Shang-Chi cast haven't been giving the promotional backing in comparison to other Marvel movies or Disney+ shows. In the last month, Shang-Chi‘s director Destin Daniel Cretton has only had one big interview with Empire. The movie's other big names like Awkwafina and Michelle Yeoh also seem to have not done as much press.
The lack of buzz surrounding Shang-Chi has led many to accuse Disney not promoting the movie because of its Asian cast. Some also mentioned the support Black Panther received in comparison to Shang-Chi.
we, asians, get our first ever asian-led marvel film and @marvel isn't doing anything to promote it. tweeting a poster isn't enough. please promote shang-chi like you promoted black widow.
— ًrai (@widcwfilms) August 14, 2021
“theres shang-chi promo” yeah and most of the promo you see about the movie came from simu liu or the shang-chi brazil account updates. we’re talking about how marvel promotes this movie and they do not promote it the same way they did with black widow and captain carter
— CLOSED. (@themvndarin) August 14, 2021
i’ll do the promo for shang-chi then since disney won’t pic.twitter.com/dT8icpMUTb
— vp ali 🦋 (@frankieispunk) August 14, 2021
i have to say it’s feeling a little suspicious that no mcu actors are saying anything about shang-chi other than the actors that are in it….
— trin (@lovelltrin) August 12, 2021
why has marvel promoted captain carter more than shang-chi
— eve ᗢ | nwh trailer? (@invisiblewanda) August 9, 2021
why isn’t shang-chi getting hyped...it’s literally a marvel movie coming out NEXT MONTH the racism is showing they literally did the same w black panther 😫
— sab 🎸 (@s4bswurld) August 12, 2021
I wish Shang-Chi got more love and press.. idk feels like it’s not getting the hype it deserves
— Plathanos 🐝🇩🇴 #HIVESZN (@SavinTheBees) August 12, 2021
There's still three weeks to go until Shang-Chi is released so it's possible Disney will amp up the promotional rollout soon following the premiere on August 16.
