A new Marvel film pays the price for the problems encountered by the MCU. Bad news for this long-awaited sequel after the box of the first episode.
It’s really not been going well for Marvel lately. Even if we put aside the scriptwriters’ strike which put a stop to many projects. The release schedule keeps changing, a producer who gave birth to the MCU has been fired, the series and some of the recent movies are failures. In short, it’s not joy and it may not get better. At least for this feature film which would however allow the team of superheroes to go up the slope.
A New Marvel Movie Is Totally Lost
Apart from Deadpool 3 which (rarely) brought forward its release, the other films Marvel like Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Blade, The Fantastic Four and the next two avengers were postponed. Which is starting to do a lot and… it’s not even over!
Simu Liu, who plays Xu Shang-Chi/Sha in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Declare that Shang Chi 2 won’t be released until the Avengers return. And since these two have already been subject to delays, it does not smell very good. “I was told that it (note: Shang-Chi 2) would come out after Avengers, but it keeps getting pushed back for reasons beyond my control. I hope to have more concrete news to share soon” he said on Instagram. If the dates on the Marvel calendar don’t move, that would mean this sequel wouldn’t hit theaters until May 2026 or May 2027. It all depends on whether Simu Liu is talking about Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Secret Wars.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a monumental hit for Marvel Studios and Disney. The film grossed over $432.2 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of around $150 million. A commercial but also critical success, with a relative consensus between the press and the spectators. A success far from failures such as Thor 4 Or Ant Man 3.
No cancellation of Shang-Chi 2, but a big delay
The success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings pushed Marvel Studios to very quickly validate a sequel. Which is not to displease the main actor. He even shared his excitement about reprising his role. “I’m looking forward to embarking on a sequel. We don’t have this feeling of performance pressure or overtaking. We’ve built a world and there’s something exciting and really nostalgic about going back there. Especially after spending so much time setting it up. We are going to revisit certain things, but also show new ones to the spectators. All the extraordinary action, which made the reputation of the film, will be back, but I also hope that other facets of the characters, including that of Shaun will be developed ».
For the time being, Marvel will therefore do without Shang-Chi 2, but for how long? We will have to wait until future MCU announcements, crossing our fingers that the project arrives as soon as possible. In the meantime, a little reminder of the films and series to come.
- Loki season 2 on Disney+ – October 6, 2023
- Echo season 1 on Disney Plus – November 29, 2023 (Hawkeye spin-off)
- The Marvels – November 8, 2023
- Deadpool 3 – May 3, 2024
- Captain America 4 – July 26, 2024
- Thunderbolts – December 20, 2024 (United States). December 18 or 25, 2025 (France)
- Blade – February 14, 2025 (United States). February 12 or 19, 2025 (France)
- The Fantastic Four – May 2, 2025 (United States). April 29, 2025 or May 6, 2025 (France)
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – May 1, 2026 (United States). April 28, 2026 or May 5, 2026 (France)
- Avengers: Secret Wars – May 7, 2027 (United States). May 5, 2027 or May 12, 2026 (France)
- iron heart – TBA
- Agata: Coven of Chaos – TBA