Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Trivia | 90 facts about the MCU film

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film introduces a new superhero.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new film and this new superhero.

1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 American superhero film
2. It is based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi
3. Produced by Marvel Studios
4. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
5. It is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
6. The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
7. From a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham
8. From a story by Cretton and Callaham
9. It stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung
10. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past after he is drawn into his father’s Ten Rings organization
11. A film based on Shang-Chi entered development in 2001
12. But work did not begin in earnest until December 2018 when Callaham was hired
13. Cretton joined in March 2019
14. The project was fast-tracked as Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead
15. The film’s title and primary cast were announced that July
16. Revealing the film’s connection to the Ten Rings organization
17. The organization previously appeared throughout the MCU, and its leader, Wenwu, portrayed by Leung
18. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first Marvel Studios film with an Asian director and a predominantly Asian cast
19. Filming began in February 2020
20. It was put on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic
21. Production resumed in August before completing in October
22. With additional shooting occurring in Sydney and San Francisco
23. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiered in Los Angeles on August 16, 2021
24. It was released in the United States on September 3
25. It is a part of Phase Four of the MCU
26. The film received positive reviews from critics
27. Praising the choreography of the action scenes, exploration and representation of Asian culture, and the performances from Liu and Leung
28. According to Margaret Loesch, former president and CEO of Marvel Productions, Stan Lee discussed a potential film or television series based on the Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi with actor Brandon Lee and his mother Linda Lee during the 1980s
29. With the intention of having Brandon Lee star as the character
30. Brandon’s father, martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was the visual inspiration for artist Paul Gulacy when drawing Shang-Chi during his tenure on the Master of Kung Fu comic book series in the 1970s
31. In 2001, Stephen Norrington signed a deal to direct a Shang-Chi film entitled The Hands of Shang-Chi
32. By 2003, the film was in development at DreamWorks Pictures with Yuen Woo-Ping replacing Norrington as director and Bruce C. McKenna hired to write the screenplay
33. Ang Lee joined the project as a producer in 2004
34. But the film did not materialize after that point and the rights to the character reverted to Marvel
35. In September 2005, Marvel chairman and CEO Avi Arad announced Shang-Chi as one of ten properties being developed as films by the newly formed Marvel Studios
36. The company received financing to produce the slate of ten films which were to be distributed by Paramount Pictures
37. Shang-Chi was put on a list of characters that Marvel thought could make great films despite being relatively unknown, since he had a “very Disney story” in the comic books
38. The Ten Rings were featured in the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, Iron Man (2008), without their leader the Mandarin
39. Marvel Studios then planned to feature the Mandarin in a film that could do the character “supreme justice” and showcase his complexity
40. Which Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige felt they could not do in the Iron Man films because those focused on Tony Stark / Iron Man
41. According to Chris Fenton, former president of the Chinese-based film production company DMG Entertainment that was in talks with Marvel Studios to co-produce their films, Marvel offered to create a teaser featuring either Shang-Chi or the Mandarin for the Chinese market that would be featured at the end of The Avengers (2012)
42. DMG balked at the offer, since the Mandarin’s negative stereotypical portrayal in the comics could potentially prevent the film from releasing in China and risk shutting down DMG as a company
43. The Mandarin would eventually appear in the DMG co-produced film Iron Man 3 (2013) portrayed by Ben Kingsley
44. He was revealed to be imposter Trevor Slattery posing as the Mandarin
45. Kingsley reprises the role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
46. Feige felt this fake Mandarin did not necessarily mean that a more faithful version of the character did not exist in the MCU
47. By December 2018, Marvel had fast-tracked development of a Shang-Chi film with the intent of making it their first film with an Asian lead
48. Marvel hired Chinese-American writer Dave Callaham to write the screenplay, and began looking at Asian and Asian-American filmmakers to potentially direct the film
49. The studios’ goal was to explore Asian and Asian-American themes presented by Asian and Asian-American filmmakers, as they had done for African and African-American culture with Black Panther earlier in 2018
50. Development of the film also came following the success of the film Crazy Rich Asians that was likewise released earlier in 2018 and led to several other Asian-led properties being developed by Hollywood studios
51. Callaham’s script was expected to modernize elements of the character’s comic book story, which was first written in the 1970s, to avoid what modern audiences would consider to be negative stereotypes
52. When Callaham began work on the script, he became emotional realizing it was the first project where he was asked to write “from my own experience, from my own perspective”
53. Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter said the film could “break out in a way similar to Black Panther” by bringing a new perspective to the character
54. Newby felt Shang-Chi could have worked well as a television series, and said it “speaks volumes” that Marvel would decide to make a feature film about the character instead
55. Newby concluded that the film is an opportunity to avoid stereotypes about Asian martial artists and be “more than Marvel’s Bruce Lee”
56. Marvel Studios hired Japanese-American filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton to direct the film in March 2019
57. Deborah Chow, Justin Tipping, and Alan Yang were also considered
58. Cretton admitted he had previously not been interested in directing a superhero film, but was drawn to the project to help create a world and character that Asian children could look up to and see themselves in
59. In April, Marvel Studios and Australian Arts Minister Mitch Fifield announced that an upcoming Marvel film, believed to be Shang-Chi, would be filmed at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney and on location throughout the state of New South Wales
60. The production received AU$24 million (US$17 million) in one-off funding from the Australian government, as well as backing from the AU$10 million (US$7 million) “Made in NSW” state fund
61. The production was expected to generate AU$150 million (US$107 million) for the Australian economy as well as 4,700 new jobs, while taking advantage of around 1,200 local businesses
62. Don Harwin, the New South Wales Arts Minister, confirmed in July that this film was Shang-Chi and that it would be produced back-to-back with Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
63. Production on Shang-Chi was set to be completed before work began on Love and Thunder later in 2020
64. Recording for the film’s score, composed by Joel P. West, began at Abbey Road Studios in London by June 2021
65. West scored Cretton’s four previous films
66. The film’s score was released digitally by Marvel Music and Hollywood Records on September 1, 2021
67. Marvel Music, Hollywood Records, and Interscope Records also released four separate singles ahead of the film’s release: “Lazy Susan” by 21 Savage and Rich Brian,[89] “Every Summertime” by Niki, “Run It” by DJ Snake, Rick Ross, and Rich Brian and “In the Dark” by Swae Lee
68. A soundtrack album containing these songs was released on September 3, in addition to songs by JJ Lin, Saweetie, Anderson .Paak, and other artists
69. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings had its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre and TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles on August 16, 2021
70. It was screened at CinemaCon on August 25
71. The film began releasing in international markets on September 1, with it releasing in 66% of its markets by the end of its first weekend
72. In Australia, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released on September 2, with a release in New South Wales, Victoria, and Australian Capital Territory on September 16 because of the countries COVID-19-related lockdown
73. It was released in the United States on September 3, in over 4,200 theaters, with 400 IMAX, over 850 in premium large format, 1,500 3D, and 275 in specialty D-Box, 4DX, and ScreenX
74. The film will have a 45-day exclusive theatrical release, rather than being released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access like Black Widow
75. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings earned $8.8 million from its Thursday night previews
76. This was the second highest preview gross in the COVID-19 era, behind Black Widow ($13.2 million)
77. According to Boxoffice Pro, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is projected to gross around $35 to $55 million over its 3 day opening weekend in the United States and Canada
78. With a total domestic gross of $160 to $165 million
79. Deadline Hollywood projects the film to gross around $45–50 million domestically over its four-day Labor Day opening weekend
80. This would be a record for the weekend
81. Theater owners project a higher weekend gross
82. The site also projected the film would be the top film at the box office for at least three weeks
83. Variety stated some industry tracking services were projecting a $60 million opening weekend
84. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92%
85. Based on 224 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10
86. The website’s critical consensus reads, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn’t entirely free of Marvel’s familiar formula, but this exciting origin story expands the MCU in more ways than one”
87. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100
88. Based on 48 critics
89. Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
90. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale