Shang-Chi Star Simu Liu Responds to Disney Exec Calling Film An "Experiment"

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu had some thoughts about the movie being an [...]

By Aaron Perine

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu had some thoughts about the movie being an "experiment" for Disney. During a Walt Disney Company earnings call this week, CEO Bob Chapek called the current climate for releasing movies in theaters a challenge. In addition, he said that Shang-Chi would be "an interesting experiment for us." Obviously, for the stars and other people who worked on the film, that doesn't sit quite right. Liu has been vocal on social media about a number of topics, and he's hoping to help rally support from his fans. A lot of people want to see Shang-Chi succeed because of what it will mean for the larger cinematic landscape. But, for the actor, this is also a story that needs to be told as it relates to representation as well. They're hoping to beat the odds and be the first step on the road back to some bigger box office totals. Only time will tell if the Marvel movie fulfills this role, but if he can keep up the pressure online, maybe that can rally the MCU fans to shock everybody.

Liu wrote, "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."

During the investor call this week, a lot of eyebrows were raised when the topic of Free Guy and Shang-Chi's theatrical release came up. Here's what Chapek had to say about that.

"On Free Guy, obviously this is a title that we acquired under a different distribution assumption and set of agreements, so we don't have the degree of freedom to do that," Chapek explained, alluding to Fox's role in this before they were acquired. "On Shang-Chi, we actually think it's going to be an interesting experiment for us because it's got only a 45-day window for us. The prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical for 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles."

Do you think Shang-Chi can become the biggest blockbuster of the pandemic era? Let us know down in the comments!

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