The Latest Marvel Movie ‘Shang-Chi’ Opens With $8.8 Million at Box Office
Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings – the latest Marvel movie to hit theaters – premiered with $8.8 million at the box office. This places Shang-Chi amongst the highest-grossing films of COVID times, just behind Black Widow’s $13.2 million debut.
Let’s. Freaking. Go.https://t.co/FMLqbgmTlQ
— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) September 4, 2021
Canadian actor Simu Liu stars in Shang-Chi as Marvel’s first Asian superhero. After being raised by the Ten Rings terrorist organization, Shang-Chi escapes to San Francisco. Despite being trained to become a martial arts assassin, he seeks out a seemingly normal life (until his past comes back to haunt him).
Is #ShangChi the best MCU origin story movie since Iron Man? pic.twitter.com/HEd9oiUJ6V
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) September 5, 2021
Shang-Chi is currently only in theaters, rather than hitting streaming services at the same time. Recent Disney movies like Black Widow and Cruella did the latter, and box office results appeared to suffer from it.
“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,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax, according to Deadline. “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.”
But on top of that, Shang-Chi‘s themes of diversity and rave reviews (92% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) helped with the movie’s popularity.
SHE UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT #ShangChi pic.twitter.com/PiwQf5eR4z
— Ky-el (@wandastwins) September 7, 2021
“We’re finally on the cusp of sharing this movie with the whole world,” Simu Liu wrote on Instagram ahead of the world premiere. “More thoughts to come. Prepare to make history with us!”
History has indeed been made. As of Sunday, Shang-Chi raked in $71.4 million in its opening weekend. Disney estimated that number would jump to $83.5 million by the end of the holiday weekend on Monday.
It’s time to unlock a whole new Marvel world. 🗝 Check out the third poster in a series inspired by Marvel Studios’ #ShangChi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. Experience it only in theaters NOW. Get tickets: https://t.co/CL8klUee3J
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) September 5, 2021
Artwork by @ajfrena pic.twitter.com/Kz5HGVQaoT
Get your tickets for Shang-Chi here.
Writer | @IlanaDavis24
