Box Office: ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Smashes Labor Day Weekend Records in Opening Frame

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Dear Evan Hansen,” the big-screen adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, premieres in theaters this weekend. Will it be found at the top of box office charts?The Universal film, which sees Ben Platt reprising his Tony-winning role, is projected to debut to approximately $10 million from 3,300 North American cinemas.

By Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel's to its Cinematic Universe, has been out less than a week and is already with nearly $100 million in ticket sales. If you were one of those theater-goers (and with numbers like that, it seems likely), then you know: It's not just one of the best action-packed films in the MCU—it's one of the best action films, full stop. Led by director Destin Daniel Cretton, the cast is a large part of what makes Shang-Chi so successful.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, one of the many new movie releases out now in movie theaters.Recently, I’ve preferred watching the Thursday showing of a movie before its official release on Friday. I just started graduate school, though, and one of my classes is directly at the time I used to watch movies.

That result would triple the previous Labor Day weekend record of $30.5 million set by “Halloween” in 2007; and with overall totals now sitting comfortably above $130 million, this Labor Day weekend could sit among the top 5 in box office history despite the presence of the Delta variant. Marvel films have been consistently well-received by audiences and critics, but even by those high standards “Shang-Chi” is receiving remarkable acclaim.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMarvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” capped off Labor Day weekend at the box office with a bang.

“Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings” smashed Labor Day box office records, generating $71.4 million in ticket sales for the holiday weekend.The movie was the first Marvel film to be released exclusively in theaters since the pandemic began.

That 3-day total is second only to the $80 million opening for “Black Widow” on the list of highest post-shutdown domestic opening weekend totals and just tops the $70 million opening for “F9” earlier this summer. The 4-day total is also nearly triple the previous record for the highest Labor Day opening weekend record of $30.5 million set by “Halloween” in 2007.

Ellise Shafer administratorMarvel and Disney’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is expected to soar to the top of the domestic box office over the holiday weekend with an estimated four-day debut of $75 million to $85 million.The superhero film took in $29.6 million on Friday from 4,300 theaters. Some industry experts are estimating “Shang-Chi’s” earnings could even reach $86 million over its first four days, with a predicted three-day gross of $70.8 million.

After grossing an excellent $29.6 million from 4,300 screens on Friday, industry estimates now have the latest MCU film grossing $70.8 million over the 3-day period — which would match the opening of “F9” earlier this summer — and a stunning $86 million 4-day launch. That would nearly triple the previous record set 14 years ago by Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” with $30.5 million.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” kicked off its box office in Thursday night previews by making $8.8 million from screenings beginning at 6 p.m.

The Labor Day weekend box office, the last frame of summer, which studios typically shy from, is poised for a revolution as Disney debuts the first Asian American Marvel superhero feature Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings. 

Asian and Pacific Islander non-profit collective Gold House announced the launch of a Gold Open for Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in partnership with GoFundMe.Gold House’s Gold Open premieres, launched in partnership with CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) are an initiative that aims to drive box office success for films led by Asians and Pacific Islanders.