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After being delayed more than a year, the film side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally launched this past July with the release of Black Widow in both theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings followed two months later, but unlike Scarlett Johansson’s solo outing as Natasha Romanoff, Simu Liu’s MCU debut was released exclusively in theaters. However, we finally know when Shang-Chi will become available to stream on Disney+, and it’s not too far off.
On Friday, November 12, The Walt Disney Company will hold Disney+ Day, which commemorates the second anniversary of the Mouse House’s streaming service launching. Among the goodies that subscribers can look forward to is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hitting Disney+, and it’ll be available to everyone signed up on the platform, as opposed to just being on the Premier Access tier (if you’re not signed up, rectify that with this link). Shang-Chi’s Disney+ arrival will be accompanied by Jungle Cruise becoming available to all subscribers following its run on Premier Access, as well as the premiere of Home Sweet Home Alone, among many other things.
It was decided back in May that like the Ryan Reynolds-led Free Guy, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would premiere exclusively in theaters, though only for 45 days, which looks like it’s becoming the new theatrical window norm. Still, it was previously unclear whether Shang-Chi would come to Disney+ shortly after its window had lapsed or if it would be held for several months later. Now we know it’ll arrive on the streaming service about a month after those initial 45 days are up, and a little over two months after it first started playing on the big screen.
Taking into account how the pandemic continues to affect the theatrical industry, Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings has had an impressive commercial run so far. At the time of this writing, the Marvel feature starring Simu Liu as the eponymous protagonist has collected over $320 million worldwide, making it the sixth highest-grossing movie of 2021 (it’s sandwiched between Black Widow at $377.6 million and A Quiet Place Part II at $297.4 million). On the critical front, Shang-Chi has been met with mostly positive reviews, ranking at 92% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Following Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ box office success, Disney decided that the next MCU movie, Eternals, will also be play exclusively in theaters for 45 days, starting on November 5. Whether it will come to Disney+ in the same time frame as Shang-Chi did. As for the future of Simu Liu’s character in the MCU, while Shang-Chi 2 hasn’t been officially announced yet, given the movie’s success and this superhero franchise’s track record with sequels, it stands to reason will get another entry in this film series.
After Eternals drops inNovember, the MCU will continue on December 17 with the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Our upcoming Marvel movies guide is available for those of you wondering what will come out in 2022 and beyond, and you’re also welcome to look through our upcoming Marvel TV shows guide to see what small screen MCU offerings are heading to Disney+.
