Shang-Chi To Not Be Released In China

Awkwafina
Awkwafina

While Shang-Chi will be the first Marvel film to be shown in theatres post-pandemic, it would miss out on a key international market. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that the pandemic hasn’t deteriorated to a position where theatres had to be closed, but it is tinged with the disappointment that it doesn’t have a release date in China- which has got all the box-office analysts debating as to how far the movie would fare without such a key market. 

Shang-Chi To Not Get Permission For Release in China?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be the first film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe which hasn’t received approval for its distribution in China- and the second movie which wouldn’t be released in the country. The controversy that underlies the entire issue seems to stem from the casting of the film as well as the perception of the comic book series on which the movie is based.

The absence from the box office in China implies that the movie will be leaving behind quite a large sum of money on the table. Since Avengers, which was released in 2012, China has unilaterally been the second-highest-grossing box office for all movies out of the MCU- just standing behind the States and Canada. 

As it stands, Shang-Chi will definitely be topping the box office of the weekend- with a theater-only release along with a 24-movie blockbuster franchise- in Canada and the USA. It might even stake a claim on being the highest Labor Day weekend opening of all time. But China’s stature in the box-office market can’t be negated. Before the pandemic, China was the second-largest box office throughout which garnered almost $8.67 billion in ticket sales as recorded by Comscore. 

Heading into its debut, Shang-Chi will not profit from the ticket sales in China, as it hasn’t yet been approved by government officials for release in the country. Since the region doesn’t have a free market for movies, every single foreign-made film will have to pass censorship.