Shang-Chi's Theater-Only Release Is Hypocritical After ScarJo Response

Disney's decision to only release Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in movie theaters seems astonishingly hypocritical following the company's comments on Scarlett Johansson's recent lawsuit. The company's announcement that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie would not see a simultaneous release on the Disney+ streaming service has also drawn fire for being short-sighted in the wake of spiking COVID-19 infection rates.

The controversy began in late July, when Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney regarding their decision to simultaneously release the long-delayed Black Widow movie in theaters and on Disney+. Johansson alleged that this was an act of bad faith of the part of Disney, since her contract for the movie promised her a percentage of the film's final box office receipts in lieu of a higher salary; a stipulation identical to the one Robert Downey Jr. received for his final performance as Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame. Disney responded with an official statement that dismissed Johansson's claims as having "no merit whatsoever" and "sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," painting the actress as greedy and unconcerned with the safety of the public.

These words have come back to haunt Disney in the wake of an announcement by Disney CEO Bob Chapek that Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings would only be released in theaters on September 3. The latest MCU Phase 4 film is being released in a limited 45-day window, at which point it could be made available through streaming and on-demand. Chapek defended the decision, describing it as "an interesting experiment" before claiming that it would not be possible to release Shang-Chi on Disney+ at the same time it opened in theaters because of "the practically of last minute changes."

Chapek's comments seem ill-considered at a time when new variants of the COVID-19 virus are spreading rapidly and other upcoming 2021 movies (such as Venom: Let There Be Carnage) are pushing back their theatrical releases amidst public health concerns. These comments also seem hypocritical given the seemingly glib concern for the public health that the company expressed several weeks earlier when Scarlett Johansson filed her lawsuit. While a calculated effort to avoid paying Johansson what she was owed cannot be proven with what information is publicly known, it's still a bad look for Disney to suddenly stop using the simultaneous release model that had already been employed for their other summer blockbusters with big-name stars.

It's possible that Disney is acting in good faith and that there are behind-the-scenes factors that make it impossible to release Shang-Chi in the same manner as Black Widow. Nevertheless, the company's recent actions seem insensitive in the wake of current events, even without the undercurrent of hypocrisy and sexism within the company's response to Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit. This adds an unfortunate aura to Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings which may color how people view the film, however and whenever they finally see it.

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