Having added the Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt adventure film Jungle Cruise to its list of upcoming hybrid theatrical and Disney+ Premier Access releases, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has confirmed that Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the Ryan Reynolds-led Free Guy will not be launching on the streaming service and will instead release exclusively in cinemas.
As reported by the trade, Chapek made the announcement during a Disney investor call, stating that the release dates for Shang-Chi and Free Guy (September 3rd and August 13th respectively) “come amid a ‘more normalized cycle’ in the exhibition sector”, which is slowly but surely picking up as the world comes out of lockdown.
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Deadline’s report goes on to state that Disney always viewed the simultaneous theatrical/Disney+ release format as a temporary measure, and the company eager to return to the traditional theatrical model as 2021 progresses.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) and stars Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) as Shang-Chi, Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs) as Wenwu, Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) as Katy, newcomer Meng’er Zhang as Xialing, Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek: Discovery) as Jiang Nan, Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians) as Jon Jon, Fala Chen (The Undoing) as Jiang Li, Florian Munteanu (Creed II) as Razor Fist and Dallas Liu (Pen15) in an undisclosed role.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set for release on September 3rd 2021.
