Shang-Chi not only won over critics and fans alike, but the latest adaptation of a classic Marvel character also easily won the weekend box office title while becoming the highest grossing Labor Day release of all time.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings “rang in” over $71.4 million over the first three days of the long weekend, and is expected to add another $12 million on Monday for a total north of $83 million. The previous Labor Day record holder was Rob Zombie’s Halloween reboot, which gathered $30.6 million back in 2007.
Shang-Chi also represents the second biggest opening of 2021, trailing only fellow Marvel vehicle Black Widow, which made $80.3 million during its debut weekend in July (not counting what it made from Disney+ viewers who paid extra to watch the long-delayed film at home).
Shang-Chi (known to his closest friends as Shawn) currently sits at 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with critics and an even higher Audience Score of 98%. It also earned an ‘A’ from those polled by CinemaScore. With over $139.7 million in its first week, the martial arts extravaganza in the Mighty Marvel Manner should continue to make bank, especially if it is ever allowed to open in China, which has a whole slate of homegrown films to exhibit. If it does get a release in China this September, Ten Rings will most likely shoot into the top five films of the year globally.
In other box office news, last week’s sweetheart Candyman continued to perform well, adding another $10.6 million over the weekend for a second place finish. With a respectable drop off of -52% from the previous week (bringing the remake’s total to $42 million domestic), Universal has to see the performance as a success.
Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy remains one of the biggest surprises of the year so far, and added another $8.7 million for a total of $94.3 million in North America and $147.4 million from overseas for a robust box office total of $241.7 million. Disney’s Jungle Cruise also crossed the $100 million mark in theaters with an additional $3.9 million and a $193.8 million bounty worldwide (again, not including any of the profits from Disney+ buyers).
Be sure to come back next week to see how Shang-Chi performs in its sophomore frame, as well as the rest of the field.