“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” set a Labor Day opening weekend box office record with just under $100 million in the first four days of its release. The box-office success is proof that a film with Asian leads, an Asian writer and an Asian director can sell in the United States.
The box-office record and positive critical reviews follow years of doubt that American audiences would get a blockbuster with an Asian lead, which is why “Shang-Chi” is the first Marvel movie to have an Asian actor — Simu Liu — as the lead. In addition to Liu, Asian stars from yesteryear are prominent in the film, signaling a changing of the guard for Asian movie stars.
“Shang-Chi” features Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung — two icons of a previous generation. Leung started his career in Hong Kong and is famous for films like “Infernal Affairs” (2002)—on which Martin Scorcese based “The Departed.” Yeoh is another actress who made her name in Hong Kong and is known for movies like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” a hit from about twenty years ago.
Yeoh and Leung — and the other stars of that generation — have left an indelible mark on Asian cinema. And as time passes, a new generation of Asian movie stars stands ready to take center stage.
“Shang-Chi” featured some of the up-and-comers of the next generation: Liu, Awkwafina and Ronny Chieng. Chieng and Awkwafina also acted in the rom-com box office hit “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), the first major studio film with an all-Asian cast in more than 20 years.
Firsts like “Shang-Chi” create a nervous excitement you can sense in the crowd. I remember seeing the woman in the row in front of me tap her kids and point at the screen excitedly when Yeoh first appeared on the screen.
Frenzied pointing when you see a famous actor on screen may seem strange. Yet, the act is reminiscent of many Asian Americans who for so long have not gotten fair representation on screen. Jeff Yang wrote an article about why “Shang-Chi” matters in last Thursday’s New York Times and explained the deleterious effects that the years of Asians getting shafted in Hollywood has had on Asian viewers.
But I do not want this moment to focus on the past — and present — invisibility of Asians in the United States. “Shang-Chi” is a movie that bursts with joy, and to overly embitter the discussion surrounding the movie would be a mistake. Instead, I want to celebrate the film as a victory in the hopes of many more to come.
I have seen plenty of movies in theaters, but I only remember three getting an ovation as the credits rolled: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Parasite” and “Shang-Chi.” During the movie, I heard the audience cheering, clapping, laughing — the kinds of audience reactions that make the movie theater experience magical. More mystifying yet was the palpable sense I got during the film that this was all part of something larger, that I was watching history unfold.
Seeing a movement flower before your very eyes is a powerful experience. I first knew Liu as the guy from “Kim’s Convenience.” I followed him on Twitter and Instagram a few years ago and remember his frustrated posts about the prejudice Asians face. Liu has continued to be an activist for Asians and has written recently about anti-Asian violence on social media and the internet. Watching him grow into a movie star in real time has been a treat.
Thankfully, Liu seems more like a microcosm than an anomaly for Asians in U.S. entertainment. “Shang-Chi” brings the promise of a Hollywood and a United States that is more inclusive and representative of a diverse nation, a nation in which Asians are the fastest-growing racial group.
Yet perhaps most impressively, “Shang-Chi” evoked a sense of great familiarity while remaining groundbreaking. The film did not feel like a novelty to fill a diversity quota. Instead, “Shang-Chi” felt like a classic American blockbuster, with all the movie stars, special effects and excitement that come with it.
All this excitement leads me to believe that the many Asian-led blockbusters to come will owe a debt to “Shang-Chi.” I can envisage a future when I look at “Shang-Chi” as not just the first but the first of many.
