Having waited two years for a new theatrical release from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans are being spoiled for choice in very quick succession. Following on from Black Widow‘s July debut, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiered today, and in just nine weeks, Chloé Zhao’s Eternals will arrive.
While Kevin Feige was always adamant that Shang-Chi would be a theatrical exclusive, he didn’t sound so confident about Eternals. Destin Daniel Cretton’s martial arts actioner is on track to smash records for a movie opening during the Labor Day weekend, but it’s still poised to be a record-low haul for the MCU.
That means that Disney could get cold feet and decide to switch things up regarding Eternals, and according to a new report, the Mouse House has three weeks to make that call. Presumably, the money men will be keeping a very close eye on Shang-Chi‘s commercial performance, and it’ll be curious to see if the rave reviews translate to putting butts in seats, or if it flat-lines like so many other blockbusters before it over the last eighteen months.
Looking at how Scarlett Johansson reacted, a Disney Plus Premier Access release for Eternals could result in more headaches, renegotiations and intense conversations between cast, crew, Feige and the top brass. But if the end result is the movie making more money in the long run, then you’d have to imagine that’s the direction in which the studio would lean.
