Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | |
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Directed by | Destin Daniel Cretton |
Screenplay by |
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Story by |
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Based on | Marvel Comics |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | William Pope |
Edited by |
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Music by | Joel P. West |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 132 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $150–200 million[2][3] |
Box office | $432.2 million[4][5] |
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 American superhero movie based on Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi. It is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The movie is the 25th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The movie was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, from a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham. It stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. In the movie, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past when his father Wenwu (Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings organization, draws Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing (Zhang) into a search for a mythical village.
A movie based on Shang-Chi entered development in 2001, but work did not truly begin until Callaham was hired in December 2018. In March 2019, Cretton joined in, with the project fast-tracked as Marvel's first movie with an Asian lead. The movie's title and primary cast was announced that July. The movie's connection to the Ten Rings organization and its leader Wenwu were revealed. The Ten Rings organization previously appeared throughout the MCU. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first Marvel Studios movie with an Asian director and a largely Asian cast. Filming began in Sydney in February 2020 but it was placed on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in August before completing in October, with additional shooting occurring in San Francisco.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiered in Los Angeles on August 16, 2021. It was released in the United States on September 3. The movie is part of Phase Four of the MCU.
Also appearing in the movie are Ronny Chieng as Jon Jon, Xialing's right-hand man and announcer at her underground fighting club; Yuen Wah as Guang Bo, one of the leaders of Ta Lo; Jodi Long as Mrs. Chen, Katy's mother; Dallas Liu as Ruihua, Katy's brother; Paul He as Chancellor Hui; Tsai Chin as Katy's grandmother;[10] Andy Le as Death Dealer, one of Wenwu's assassins who trained Shang-Chi in his youth;[22] Stephanie Hsu and Kunal Dudheker as Soo and John, married friends of Shang-Chi and Katy;[10] Zach Cherry as Klev, a bus rider who livestreams one of Shang-Chi's fights (after portraying a street vendor in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming);[23][10] and Dee Baker as the voice of Morris, a hundun who befriends Slattery.[24] Jade Xu reprises her role as a Black Widow named Helen from Black Widow (2021),[25] while Tim Roth provides uncredited vocals for his The Incredible Hulk (2008) character Emil Blonsky / Abomination.[26][27] Mark Ruffalo and Brie Larson appear uncredited in the mid-credits scene as Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, respectively, reprising their MCU roles.[28]
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiered at the El Capitan Theatre and TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on August 16, 2021.[29][30] It was screened at CinemaCon on August 21.[31] The movie was released internationally from September 1 onwards,[32] and in the United States on September 3.[33] Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is part of Phase Four of the MCU.
The movie was originally scheduled to be released on February 12, 2021,[6] which was the first day of Chinese New Year. It was moved to May 7[34] and later on to July 9, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[35] The movie was moved again in March 2021 to the September 2021 date after Black Widow was moved to the July 9 release date.[36]
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has grossed $224.5 million in the United States and Canada and $207.7 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $432.2 million.[4][5]
On Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 343 reviews are positive. The average rating is 7.50/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn't entirely free of Marvel's familiar formula, but this exciting origin story expands the MCU in more ways than one.[37] On Metacritic, the movie has a score of 71 out of 100 based on 52 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[38]