“We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise.”
Simu Liu shared these words after Disney’s newest CEO Bob Chapek referred to Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings as an “interesting experiment.” But the first Marvel movie with an Asian lead and largely Asian or Asian-American cast is indeed breaking records and ceilings, as it will mark the biggest Labor Day weekend opening ever.
Shang-Chi looks to make an astonishing $89.2 million over four days domestically, with $67.8M attributed to the first three days (plus Thursday night previews which are rolled over into Friday’s tallies).
While naysayers will chalk Shang-Chi‘s success up to it being a Marvel movie, the truth is that this isn’t *just* another Marvel movie. It has an amazing 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an astounding 99% audience score. Via PostTrak, exiting audiences are giving Shang-Chi 5 out of 5 stars. Via CinemaScore, audiences gave it an A. This is just a great movie and audiences are turning out to show their support!
Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax stated:
“Shattering Labor Day box office records with an origin story new to many fans, Shang-Chi delivers an emphatic statement: people really want to get back to the movies. It’s clear that great filmmaking plus an exclusive theatrical release is a winning formula at the box office, and this groundbreaking film has successfully launched an exciting new cinematic journey for Marvel and a strong fall blockbuster slate for the industry.”
Top Five:
1.) Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings (Disney )$71.4M
2.) Candyman (Universal) $13.4M
3.) Free Guy (20th/Dis) $11.1M
4.) Paw Patrol (Paramount) $5.215M
5.) Jungle Cruise (Disney) $5.2M
Check back to see how Shang-Chi holds up in its second weekend!
