Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings have proven to be a massive success. Both the fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the critics are all praise for the movie. The movie has been able to nab one Box Office milestone to another in the last month since its release. Major studios have been trying to release the movies in theatres and streaming services simultaneously. This is in order to make sure that the audience gets to enjoy the movies and the streaming service ensures the maximum watches. But the success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made sure that simultaneous releases are not necessary. There is a major chance that the success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is responsible for helping settle the Disney and Scarlett Johansson Lawsuit.
The Lawsuit
The lawsuit has to be one of the biggest things that could have happened to the world of superhero movies. It was considered to be something that will have a major impact on the talent contracts from major studios based on the success of the streaming amongst the audience. The lawsuit was settled before it could be taken to court with Disney deciding to pay Scarlett Johannson with the losses that the movie faced due to release on the Disney+ streaming service. She was reportedly paid around $40 million.
Disney Studios Content Chairman Alan Bergman confirmed that this is a major win for both the studio and the actress. He said:
“I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow. We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror. I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.”
The Success of Shang-Chi
There is a possibility that the box office performance of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings could have played a key role in settling this lawsuit. The movie was an experiment by Disney to make sure that the movies don’t have to be released on the Disney+ streaming service simultaneously based on their box office success. According to Matthew Belloni, an industry insider, the success of the movie helped in proving that Black Widow could have made more success if it was kept exclusively as a theatre release.
Matthew Belloni mentions in his blog,
It didn’t help Disney’s overall cause that Shang-Chi, a ‘lesser’ Marvel title starring a largely unknown actor that was released over the usually dormant Labor Day weekend, has stormed past Black Widow at the box office. The difference? Shang-Chi was a theatrical exclusive, of course. So that’s a point for Johansson.
Going Ahead
Since the lawsuit has been settled Johansson will work with Disney on the Tower of Terror movie. This will be a major transition considering nobody expected them to be able to work together again. The settlement also ensures that we might get a chance to see Black Widow being reprised by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will observe a home media release on 12 November. The movie was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Marvel head Kevin Fiege and Jonathan Schwarts. Meanwhile, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Charles Newirth served as executive producers. The movie is MCU’s first solo venture superhero addition in Phase 4. It features a vast set of characters who will appear in the future projects of Marvel. It also shares a connection to the Black Widow film with one of the Widows reprising her role as a fighter in the Macau tournament scene.
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