Where to Watch ‘Shang-Chi’: Will the New Marvel Movie Be on Disney+?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is poised to introduce a brand-new hero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney previously announced that the film, as well as November’s The Eternals, would debut exclusively in theaters. But with the delta variant surging, you may be wondering: is Shang-Chi going to be on Disney+?

Simu Liu stars in the upcoming film as its titular character, a martial-arts master who’s forced to confront his past when he’s drawn into a mysterious and powerful organization known as the Ten Rings. Liu’s character seems primed to become a major part of the MCU moving forward, so let’s break down where to stream Shang-Chi in the meantime.

Will Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Be on Disney+?

Long story short: We don’t know yet. The movie will definitely stream somewhere on approximately October 18, arriving online 45 days after its theatrical release. Although Disney has seemingly implied that Shang-Chi is eventually headed to Disney+, the studio confirmed to Decider that whether — and when — the movie will head to their streaming service is still to be announced.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently called Shang-Chi an “interesting experiment” during the company’s Q3 investors call earlier this month, saying, “The prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical for 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles.”

Notice the careful wording there, including “prospect” and not actually naming which “service” Chapek is referring to (Disney owns Disney+, Hulu, and Hotstar internationally; as well as ESPN+, though we can probably rule that one out). This is significant, since other major Disney titles released theatrically amid the coronavirus pandemic have also had same-day streaming releases on Disney+ Premier Access, which requires Disney+ subscribers to pay an extra $30 fee, or direct to Disney+ without an additional subscription fee.

It’s possible that Disney is still in the process of working out the financial issues of whether the film will go to PVOD, Premier Access, or Disney+ first, especially as the company faces a highly publicized lawsuit from Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson for allegedly breaching her contract by simultaneously releasing the film in theaters and on Disney+. But like the news on where Shang-Chi will head in October, that’s all still TBA.

Is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings available to purchase or rent on VOD?

Nope, not yet. And not next month, either. Despite the rising Delta variant, Shang-Chi will still debut exclusively in theaters on September 3.

When will Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings be available to stream?

Regardless of where it ends up, Shang-Chi will be available to stream on approximately October 18, aka 45 days after its theatrical release. In the meantime, you can check this space for updates about where to watch the new Marvel movie as they arrive.