Shang-Chi: the MCU‘s first Asian superhero may have a tough time at the top of the box office charts, as there is no release date set for China and may not be one. The same could be true for The Eternals.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was one of the most anticipated films in the MCU. The superhero adventure is the first Asian protagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many have been eagerly anticipating what this new Avengers will be able to do. However, the film has not been without its controversies, and it seems that another one has reared its head. This latest complication will cause severe problems for the film’s box office.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first MCU film since the outbreak’s start to be released exclusively in cinemas this weekend – excluding China.

Shang-Chi has not received distribution approval in China, which will cause a severe drop in the overall box office. MCU films usually earn ten to twenty percent of their revenues from China. Shang-Chi will almost certainly finish lower in the rankings without the Chinese box office than other similar MCU films. Since 2012’s The Avengers, China is the second highest-grossing country for all Marvel films, just behind the US and Canada.

The underlying controversy seems to stem from the film’s casting and the perception of the comic book series Shang-Chi is based on. The comic books on which the film is based are considered racist and full of reductive stereotypes. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has assured the public that the issue will be handled with racial sensitivity, but this does not seem enough to save the film from being banned in China.

Marvel’s Eternals could also face problems in China, but for different reasons. Director Chloe Zhao has become a persona non grata in China after some of her comments about the country were posted on the internet. Her details have been removed from the Chinese World Wide Web, and it is assumed that in the future, films directed by her will also be banned in China.

This means that the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film will be shown in China in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Turning Back, which will be released later this December. Chinese audiences, hungry for MCU movies, are likely to flock to the cinemas when released in China.

For now, however, Shang-Chi is the next MCU film to be released. And while it won’t be released in China, it is expected to do well over the Labor Day weekend. Since it’s only being released in theatres and tied to the previous 24 MCU films, it is expected to do well in the US and Canada. It is expected to be number one in the market and has a very realistic chance of breaking the Labor Day weekend box office record.

Source: MovieWeb