China more excited for Thor and Doctor Strange than Shang-Chi

Marvel Studios casts its first titular Chinese superhero, but fans don’t know actor Simu Liu

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Chinese Canadian actor Simu Liu (right) and Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (left) have been cast as Shang-Chi and the Mandarin respectively. (Picture: Marvel Studios via Weibo)

Published: 8:27pm, 22 Jul 2019Updated: 9:09am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

After nearly two dozen films spanning over a decade, Marvel Studios is finally working on a film with an Asian superhero in the lead role. But Marvel-mad Chinese fans are actually more excited about other sequels than seeing Shang-Chi.

At San Diego Comic-Con International over the weekend, the studio teased a tantalizing lineup of at least 10 new movies and shows slated for up to 2021. The majority of titles will see the return of familiar characters like Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch and Black Widow, but others will debut brand new stories and superheroes.

The Eternals, starring an ensemble cast including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayak, will focus on a team of superhumans tasked with protecting the world. Chinese netizens were quick to point out that the film will be directed by Chloé Zhao, the first Chinese woman to helm a major Marvel movie.

In China, though, the most talked-about project is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the first Marvel movie to feature a Chinese actor in the title role. In an apparent attempt to woo Asian audiences, the movie is scheduled for a North American release on February 12, 2021 -- the first day of the Lunar New Year.

But if Marvel is also hoping to cash in on a major holiday turnout in China, it looks like an uncertain bet. The country’s movie regulator usually shuts out foreign films during Chinese New Year in a bid to boost ticket sales of domestic movies. As some on Weibo noted, last year’s Black Panther debuted around the Lunar New Year in most parts of the world, yet China didn’t get to see it until weeks later.

Not that Chinese netizens seem particularly tickled by Shang-Chi for now.

Several blog posts on Weibo asked readers to name their most anticipated Marvel title. The most common answers were Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.