Simu Liu, the star of Marvel Studios’ upcoming film ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’, set to hit cinemas worldwide on September 3, has seemingly hit back at Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s remarks that the film’s release plan is “an interesting experiment”.
During Disney’s most recent earnings call, Chapek commented that ‘Shang-Chi’s’ exclusive theatrical release would be “an interesting experiment” for the company. “On ‘Shang-Chi’, we think it’s actually going to be an interesting experiment for us, because it’s got only a 45-day window for us,” Chapek said. “So the prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the [streaming] service after going theatrical at 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles.”
Liu seemed responded to thecomment on Saturday by posting on social media, emphatically saying that ‘Shang-Chi’ is “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,” Liu wrote. “We are the surprise. I’m fired the [expletive] up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.”
Following the opening of ‘Free Guy’ this last weekend, ‘Shang-Chi’ is set to be one of the first Disney films to have an exclusive theatrical release during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the theatrical window has been shortened to 45 days, all of Disney’s recent releases — like ‘Jungle Cruise’, ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Cruella’ — have been simultaneously released in theatres and on Disney Plus Premier Access.
