Despite concerns over the Delta variant of COVID-19, Marvel's newest hero is tearing up the box office.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel's first superhero film centered around an Asian lead, grossed $71.4 million domestically over three days this weekend and is expected to take in $83.5 million through Labor Day, Variety reports. That easily sets a new record for biggest domestic Labor Day opening weekend of all time, surpassing the $30 million record set by 2007's Halloween. The haul was considered quite impressive especially given the film is about a new character who wasn't well known among general audiences, and Shang-Chi scored the second-best three-day debut of the pandemic behind Marvel's previous movie, Black Widow.
More importantly, though, it was also an impressive opening considering COVID-19 cases have been climbing in recent weeks, which left some experts uncertain about the film's box office prospects. Unlike Black Widow, Shang-Chi was exclusively released in movie theaters and wasn't available to stream online, though it will hit Disney+ after 45 days. So Hollywood has been keeping a close eye on Shang-Chi's performance to indicate whether films scheduled for the fall can do strong business, and Disney CEO Bob Chapek described the movie's release strategy as an "interesting experiment" that would provide "another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Shang-Chi's opening, then, could suggest Disney will be more likely to debut its upcoming films like Eternals exclusively in theaters without a simultaneous streaming release. It could also increase studios' confidence in releasing tentpoles including No Time to Die and Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters rather than postponing them again.
That's not to say the movie calendar won't be affected by the Delta variant at all, though. Before Shang-Chi opened, COVID-19 concerns already led Paramount Pictures to postpone two highly-anticipated fall releases, Top Gun: Maverick and Jackass Forever, to 2022.
-
5 cracking cartoons about the new Cracker Barrel logoCartoons Artists take on MAGA designs, real issues, and more
-
Should you downsize for retirement? Here's what to consider.The Explainer Moving to a smaller place may seem easier, but there are also some real benefits to staying put
-
What to do if you want to move but don't want to give up your low mortgage ratethe explainer 30-year mortgage rates are currently averaging 7% — and homeowners who secured rates closer to 3% during the pandemic are reluctant to sell their homes
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
