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 Since Labor Day is
traditionally a slow weekend at the box office,
the film's three day total of $75.5 million from
4,300 theaters blew past previous the record set
by 2007's "Halloween" and its $30.6 million
start. Despite concerns the delta variant would
keep audiences at home, "Shang-Chi" notched the
second-biggest opening weekend of the pandemic,
behind only "Black Widow" with $80 million.
Impressively, it ranked ahead of Universal's
"Fast & Furious" sequel "F9" ($70 million) and
Paramount's "A Quiet Place Part II" ($48
million), both of which opened earlier in summer
at time when COVID-19 looked like it might
eventually abate.
At the international box office, "Shang-Chi"
amassed $56.2 million in key markets such as
France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and
Japan. The film doesn't have a release date in
China, which is an important territory for
Marvel movies. Globally, "Shang-Chi" has made
$146.2 million so far.
"'Black Widow' showed what a Marvel movie can do
in pandemic conditions, and that release had the
additional burden of a streaming option," says
David A. Gross. "For Marvel, 'Shang-Chi' is a
creative departure, and at a cost of over $150
million, the results are very good."
Unlike "Black Widow," which debuted
simultaneously on Disney Plus, "Shang-Chi" is
playing only in theaters for its first 45 days
of release before it lands on-demand. Disney CEO
Bob Chapek called its theatrical-only release an
"interesting experiment" and indicated its
ticket sales would influence plans for future
releases, such as "Eternals," which is scheduled
for Nov. 5.
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 Directed by Destin Daniel
Cretton, "Shang-Chi" takes place after the
events of "Avengers: Endgame" and centers on a
skilled martial artist who is forced to confront
his past when he is targeted by the covert Ten
Rings organization.
In a landmark moment for representation, it's
the first installment in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, the biggest film franchise, to feature
an Asian star and predominately Asian cast.
Moviegoers and critics were impressed with the
final product; it has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes
and an "A" CinemaScore from audiences.
Last weekend's champ, Universal's thriller "Candyman,"
slid to second place, collecting $10.5 million
over the weekend and an impressive $13 million
through Monday. The horror film, which is
playing only in theaters, has made $41 million
to date, a strong result given its $25 million
production budget.
In third place, Disney and 20th Century's sci-fi
comedy "Free Guy" finished Monday with $11.2
million (including $8.7 million from Friday to
Sunday), bringing ticket sales to $94.3 million.
Paramount's animated adventure "PAW Patrol" and
Disney's family friendly film "Jungle Cruise"
tied the No. 4 spot with each taking in $4
million over the three-day weekend and $5.2
million through Monday. "PAW Patrol," based on
the popular children's TV program, has generated
$31 million to date, while "Jungle Cruise"
recently crossed $100 million at the domestic
box office, with its tally currently at $106.8
million.
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