image credit: Gold House
Variety reports that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is slated to open this week on September 3 with a Gold Open. For those of you who don’t know, this means that the Gold House organization and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) are taking measures to ensure this movie has a successful launch. Similar efforts were made for the premieres of Parasite and Crazy Rich Asians. The Shang-Chi campaign includes theatres buyout campaigns, designated AAPI restaurants for patronage, and a GoFundMe effort to send children from the San Gabriel Valley Boys and Girls club to a special screening.
A quick search reveals a number of private screenings and theatre buyouts of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that are planned, including one organized by our own writer John. That one, scheduled for September 2nd, is already sold out. I am planning to just see it in regular theatres, perhaps the weekend after the opening (plus John didn’t invite me to his showing).
It will be interesting to see how the opening weekend box office works out. There are some who think and/or wish it will be a “woke disaster.” There are also some people who want to boycott the film because of Awkwafina’s “blaccent.” Unlike the Black Widow, this movie will not simultaneously be released on Disney+. Concerns about the Delta Variant will probably reduce the number of people who attend, despite initial reviews that are mainly good. It is also being released during a US holiday weekend, which could increase the numbers that first weekend. Lots of conflicting factors here – I will take a look at next Tuesday at the numbers and report back.
