“Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings”‘s Tony Leung Becomes The Second Highest Paid Debut In Marvel Studios’ History
According to media reports, actor Tony Leung from Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has officially become the second highest paid actor for a debut Marvel Studios film.
The veteran actor, who has been in the industry for almost 40 years, is easily one of the most recognizable Asian actors in the world. The Hong Kong native has been in dozens of productions, winning endless awards for his amazing character portrayals. And while a man of his impressive background has been offered numerous Hollywood roles, Tony Leung had yet to accept an offer — until his feature in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The Marvel film became the talk of the town overnight, as it officially marked the series’ first all-Asian casted movie. With the main lead of Simi Liu, from Kim’s Convenience fame, as well as Awkwafina and veteran actress Michelle Yeoh, the hype of this film soared to ends like no other — and rightfully so.
The film has been breaking records, boasting a $71.4 million Labor Day box office debut. It became the second highest box office opening release during the pandemic, trailing behind another Marvel Studios film, Black Widow.
With all of that said, it is no wonder that Tony Leung has started to make headlines for his impressively high salary for his appearance in his first ever Hollywood film. It’s been reported by numerous Chinese media that the veteran actor was paid a whopping ₩9.10 billion KRW (about $7.63 million USD) for his feature as the film’s villain, Wenwu.
The amount itself is impressive on its own, but considering that his Marvel Studios debut became the second highest paid debut speaks volumes — especially since this is his first Hollywood role. The Hong Kong actor fell second behind actress Cate Blanchett, who played Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. The Hollywood actress was reportedly paid ₩14.8 billion KRW (about $12.4 million USD) for her debut feature in the Marvel Studios film.
Not only that, but Tony Leung’s Marvel Studios’ debut salary beat that of Iron Man‘s Robert Downey Jr, who was reportedly paid ₩595 million KRW (about $499,000 USD) for his Marvel Studios debut and Thor‘s Chris Hemsworth, who was paid ₩357 million KRW (about $299,000 USD) for his debut role in the first installment of the Thor series.
Tony Leung’s impressive 40 year career plus his incredible resume all seemed to have factored in to his record breaking Marvel Studios’ debut salary. And while his time with Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may be over, we hope that this will mark the official start of the actor’s Hollywood career.
