MARVEL’S KUNG FU ADVENTURE IS DOING PERFECTLY WELL, THANKS!
I told you. I said this one would do just fine. Will it make a BILLION? Possibly not. Post Covid run for lesser known hero in the Marvel catalogue. But a solid, even record breaking debut was on the cards and yes, that has happened.
So WHY IS SHANG CHI winning against the odds and the prophets of doom?
- CONTINUITY! People are sill curious about how this latest hero connects to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- It gives us THE MANDARIN. At last! Even Iron Man did not pull that one off.
- People love the idea of a Mortal K/Combat style challenge in a comic book setting. Great genre fusion!
- Martial Arts always make for balletic, kinetic, immersive entertainment.
- Yes, CHINA is an emerging market. Do we (ie, the west?) disagree with their current administration’s human rights policies? Sure. Well, I do. But that does not preclude cultural curiosity or longer term devolution. There is an allure to the orient.
- America is still in the movie via those San Francisco scenes so it feels down to earth and not too ‘out there’ whilst advancing Marvel yet further into the mystical arts.
- Cameos! Easter Eggs! Setting up new heroes and a new ‘big bad’? All, potentially ‘there’ to enjoy.
- Concerted, even ‘viral’ marketing, backed by readied controversies, choreographed diplomacy, great colours and logos.
In short: This movie was bound to win big, at some level. If only to prove the doubters were all very wrong.
