Even amid the surging coronavirus Delta variant in the U.S., Disney/Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings powered past all expectations over Labor Day weekend, grossing an estimated $71.4M over the three-day frame and a studio-projected $83.5M over the four-day from 4,300 locations.
Both of those numbers are records for the Labor Day weekend, far surpassing the previous record holder, Rob Zombie’s Halloween, which grossed $26.4M/$30.59M over Labor Day weekend 2007. Shang-Chi’s three-day debut also stands as the second-largest since the pandemic began in March 2020, behind only Black Widow ($80.37M), and the third-largest ever in the month of September, behind only It ($123.4) and It: Chapter Two ($91.06M).
Shang-Chi certainly represents a milestone for a number of reasons, but its status as the only bona fide tentpole in history to open over Labor Day weekend makes it an outlier in the history of the holiday frame, which has historically been seen as a dumping ground for films as many Americans take advantage of the final weekend of summer by going to barbecues and engaging in more outdoor activities. Certainly, the pandemic’s playing havoc with the release schedule led to the unusual release strategy — Shang-Chi was previously slated for February, May and July of this year before ultimately landing on what has long been considered a dead zone.
Positive word-of-mouth has been one factor in Shang-Chi’s success this weekend, as Disney made pains to build buzz by holding 25 fan screenings at IMAX locations in North America on Wednesday, August 18. The film’s historic nature as the first major Asian and Asian-American-led superhero film also gave it an edge, helping drive turnout in theaters, where — unlike Black Widow, which had a day-and-date release on Disney+ — it’s playing exclusively in theaters for 45 days. Notably, its Saturday gross of $23.2M came in just $100k shy of Black Widow’s gross on its first Saturday.
Most importantly, Shang-Chi appears to be connecting with the fans who have turned out so far: opening day audiences gave it an an “A” Cinemascore and 5 out of 5 stars from ComScore PostTrak (for general audiences/parents), while its Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score is 98% with over 5,000 ratings logged. Critics, too, have responded positively; Shang-Chi currently stands at 92% “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, helping cement the film’s “must-see” status among the core MCU and superhero movie fanbase.
Shang-Chi’s fantastic opening weekend is impressive for a number of reasons, not least of which is the title character’s relative obscurity among the general public. Unlike Black Widow, for example, the character has very little name value with audiences outside of the hardcore Marvel/comic book fanbase. Indeed, Shang-Chi was about as close to being an underdog as is possible for a Marvel title. Coupled with the raging Delta variant and dampened audience enthusiasm for visiting cinemas, that relative lack of name value led to conservative industry forecasts in the weeks leading up to its release. But Disney’s savvy hype-building machine, the film’s status as a history-making entry in the MCU and the exclusive theatrical release combined to make Shang-Chi a powerhouse this weekend. Thankfully for the film, the September corridor ahead boasts little in the way of competition, giving Shang-Chi a wide berth to perform over the next several weeks.
OVERSEAS:
Internationally, Shang-Chi powered its way to a No. 1 opening in all key markets where it debuted, leading to an overseas opening of $56.2M. The film set an opening-weekend record in the U.K. during the pandemic era with an estimated $7.7M. It also grossed an estimated $6.5M in Korea, $4.3M in France, $3.2M in Russia, $2.8M in Japan and $2.4M each in Mexico and Hong Kong. The film has yet to open in China and several territories in Southeast Asia where it’s predicted to perform strongly.
More to come…
The post WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: <em>Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings</em> Shatters Expectations w/ Record-Smashing $71.4M 3-Day/$83.5M 4-Day Opening appeared first on Boxoffice.
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