Shang-Chi Actor Simu Liu Mocks Critics For Reporting On Disastrous Box Office Predictions, The Joke’s On Him

John F. Trent |

Sep 7, 2021

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 30: Simu Liu attends the Gold House special screening of Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" at Regal Union Square on August 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Disney)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Simu Liu mocked critics for reporting on box office predictions for the film.

Box office tracking website, Box Office Pro predicted that the film would have the worst opening domestic weekend in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) history when they released their long range box office forecast for the film in the middle of August.

Specifically they claimed that the film would have an opening domestic weekend between $35 million and $55 million.

If that prediction had come true it would have had the worst opening weekend in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever given the current holder, The Incredible Hulk, had an opening weekend of $55.4 million or $70.2 million in 2021 dollars if you factor in inflation.

Source: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Those predictions from Box Office Pro did not come true. Instead, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings earned $75.5 million in its opening domestic weekend becoming the fifth worst grossing MCU film ever.

The film only beat The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Thor.

However, if you factor in inflation it’s the third worst MCU film ever. Both Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor best Shang-Chi’s $75.7 million haul.

Captain America: The First Avenger earned $65 million back in 2011, but in 2021 dollars that’s $78.9 million.

Thor earned $65.7 million which in 2021 dollars is $79.7 million.

On top of this Shang-Chi performed worse than even Black Widow that was available to view on Disney+ the same day it released.

Black Widow’s opening weekend was $80.3 million. Disney claimed the film also earned $60 million from Disney+ Premier Access purchases in its opening weekend.

Seemingly believing the media praise around the film’s box office, which raved that the film beat Labor Day box office records, Liu took to Instagram where he posted a collection of thumbnails from YouTubers The Quartering, The Critical Drinker, Geeks + Gamers, Nerdrotic, Heel vs Babyface, and Ryan Kinel.

The collection of thumbnails was originally created and posted to the Marvel Studios subreddit by user Aaliyaahson. The user shared a side by side of the image next to Variety’s headline about the film earning $90 million over the entire Labor Day weekend and breaking the box office record.

Source: Marvel Studios Subreddit

Liu added to the thumbnails by including a giant LOL over top of them. He then shared the image to his Instagram Story.

Source: Simu Liu Instagram

Unfortunately for Liu, the jokes actually on him, as noted above the film is actually one of the worst performing films in MCU history. The fact that it broke the Labor Day record is complete and utter media spin.

The box office record for Labor Day weekend was previously held by The Sixth Sense, which earned $29.2 million back in 1999. However, The Sixth Sense had already been out in theaters for an entire month. It originally debuted on August 6th. Labor Day in 1999 was September 6th.

Katy (Awkwafina) and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Liu would buy into media spin about Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Liu has been actively taking part in the media spin by constantly lying about himself and the film.

During a recent AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the Marvel Studios subreddit, Liu made the outlandish claim that he believed that people that look like him could only be the actor that “gets beaten up by one of the main characters one day.”

He specifically stated, “Let’s put it this way; in 2012 when I first started out, I thought that maybe if I worked really really hard, I could be a guy that gets beaten up by one of the main characters one day. That was the pinnacle for actors that looked like me.”

“I’m ashamed to say that I’ve put on the most ridiculous and offensive accents in the past, all because I thought that it was more important to give the casting director what they wanted than to be true to myself,” he added.

Before he did the AMA, Liu spoke with Total Film where he claimed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings “means that kids growing up today will have what I didn’t, which are characters that are aspirational, that also reflect their lived experience.”

Liu was born in April 1989. Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon arrived in theaters in 1973. Jackie Chan was headlining multiple Rush Hour films in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Source: Enter The Dragon

Jet Li played one of the most intimidating villains in Lethal Weapon 4, which was in theaters in 1998. Li went on to play the lead role in the entertaining science fiction film The One in 2001.

Ken Watanabe plays Katsumoto, one of the most inspirational characters in The Last Samurai, a film that came out in 2003. Watanabe also played Saito in Inception and Dr. Ishiro Serizawa in the most recent Godzilla films.

London, UK – August 26: Sandra Oh, Simu Liu and Michelle Yeoh attend the “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” UK Gala Screening at Curzon Mayfair on August 26, 2021 in London, UK.

The list of Asian characters that are aspirational goes on and on. In fact, Ming-Na Wen played Agent Melinda May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for over seven years from 2013 to 2020. Chloe Bennett, whose father is Chinese and was born Chloe Wang, starred alongside Wen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Daisy Johnson from 2013 to 2020 as well.

It’s clear Simu Liu was lying to try and peddle Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to have done enough as the film’s opening weekend still ranks as one of the worst in MCU history.

LOL.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 16: (L-R) Chief Creative Officer, Disney Studios Content Alan Bergman, Simu Liu, and Executive Producer and Marvel Studios Co-President Louis D’Esposito attend the “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” World Premiere at El Capitan Theatre on August 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

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