For over a decade now, Marvel Studios has continually proven to be a titan of the box office with almost every film releasing to great success and profitability.
While the global pandemic has obviously affected these numbers greatly, Marvel blockbusters continue to be the biggest in the world as Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings have shown.
But as the Delta variant has recently led to a strong resurgence in COVID-19 cases, many fans were expecting Simu Liu's heroic debut to struggle at the box office. However, Shang-Chi has certainly beaten the odds as it has released as a shock hit.
Following the film's successful opening weekend, Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu poked fun at those who doubted the box office potential of his Marvel flick.
Simu Liu Revels in Shang-Chi Success
Following the record-breaking success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, titular star Simu Liu virtually laughed at the haters who doubted its box office potential.
In a recent post on Instagram, Liu shared a collage of YouTube videos predicting the film's box office flop, simply captioned “LOL.”
Years prior to finding his Hollywood stardom at Marvel Studios, Liu modeled for various stock images. Following Shang-Chi hitting theaters, these photos have gone viral across social media and have turned into a popular meme.
The Marvel star recently took to Twitter to share one of these old images with the caption “me laughing at the people who thought we’d flop:”
Me laughing at the people who thought we’d flop pic.twitter.com/7UoLqRXlCJ
Additionally, Katy actress Awkwafina also celebrated their box office success on Instagram with a picture of her and Liu filming the bus scene.
The actress went on to joke that “not only does [Simu Liu's] hair look great,” but Shang-Chi is also the number one movie in the world, an accomplishment she thanked fans for:
"This is a pic from our first day shooting the bus sequence. Not only does @simuliu hair look great, but also our movie is #1 in the world. Thanks to YOU GUYS!!!!!!"
A Surprise Box Office MCU Hit
With the COVID-19 pandemic recently worsening again due to the spread of the Delta variant, most expected the Hollywood box office to decline once again in the fall. Shockingly, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has beaten all the odds with its September release as it has proven to be a true box office hit.
Moviegoers had previously been anticipating another swarm of delays for films like Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Eternals over the coming weeks. But Marvel and Disney may have just saved the fall movie season as studios begin to realize there is still potential for box office hits even through the Delta variant.
On top of its significance for Hollywood as a whole, the immense success of Shang-Chi's debut will be huge for the character's MCU future. As fans quickly fall in love with Simu Liu's hero, Marvel Studios will likely look to integrate the martial artist into more future projects while offering him a larger role in future team-ups.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters now.
