Why Shang-Chi Isn't Streaming On Disney Plus Yet, And When It Might Be Coming

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters on September 3, and many people want to know if it will also be on Disney+’s Premier Access. It won’t, but there is some reasoning behind why the next Marvel movie will be a theater-only experience.

While Black Widow and Jungle Cruise landed on Disney+’s service for an extra $30, subscribers will have to wait for Shang-Chi to arrive to the streaming service, as Disney CEO Bob Chapek explained back in August. “We think it is going to be an interesting experiment for us on Shang-Chi,” Chapek said. “It is only a 45-day [theatrical] window. Being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical will be another point to inform our actions going forward on our titles… When we planned Shang-Chi, it was planned being in a much more healthy theatrical environment. Due to the distribution agreements and due to the practicality of last-minute changes, it wouldn’t be possible.”

Unfortunately, the Delta variant of COVID-19 is making theater-going in the United States an unhealthy experience, as transmission numbers for COVID-19 are currently at the same day average in the United States as they were in January 2021.