Even a global health crisis that’s had the theatrical industry on its knees for the best part of eighteen months isn’t enough to stop the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opening well above projections to score a global opening weekend of $140 million.
That’s the third-highest worldwide debut of the pandemic era, and the milestone 25th installment in the franchise wasn’t too far behind the competition. The record still belongs to Fast & Furious 9, which hauled in $163 million over its first three days, with fellow MCU stablemate Black Widow taking second spot thanks to a $159 million rollout.
At the beginning of the week, Shang-Chi was still tracking for the lowest opening in MCU history, but it ended up comfortably outstripping The Incredible Hulk‘s $55 million to nab $71 million Friday to Sunday, and $83 million across the entire Labor Day weekend. That also demolishes the previous benchmark for the holiday, which Rob Zombie’s Halloween had held onto since 2007.
That’s an incredible return given the circumstances, with the Delta variant surging all across the country and many major international territories still operating at much less than full capacity, without mentioning the fact the martial arts fantasy epic hasn’t yet been approved for release in the lucrative Chinese market. A huge win for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the MCU as a whole, once again reinforcing the brand’s popularity in every corner of the globe.
Published: Sep 5, 2021 12:32 pm