Could ‘Shang-Chi’ Lose Momentum in Week 3 at the Box Office?
The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has been a success for Disney. Since its premiere on Sept. 3, the film has dramatically exceeded box office expectations, and critics have raved over it. But Shang-Chi‘s success might fizzle out a bit as it heads into its third weekend in theaters.
‘Shang-Chi’ box office projected to drop 50 percent in week 3
According to Variety, Shang-Chi is projected to make around $17 million from Friday to Sunday this upcoming weekend. If this prediction turns out to be correct, that would mean that the Marvel film would experience a 50 percent drop in the box office from the previous weekend.
However, even with the projected decline at the box office, it’s likely that Shang-Chi will remain the top film in the United States. Two new movies are opening this weekend — Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho and Copshop starring Gerard Butler. But neither of them is expected to top the Marvel Studios film. Cry Macho should make between $5 million and $7 million, and Copshop will most likely earn even less than that.
People must remember, as well, that movie theaters are still experiencing a decline in ticket sales because of the pandemic. So Shang-Chi‘s success at the box office is a fantastic feat.
The newest Marvel film has been a major success in the box office so far
Despite the Coronavirus pandemic and the fact that Shang-Chi features unknown characters, the latest Marvel film has been a triumph. Shang-Chi made a record-breaking $94.4 million in the domestic box office Labor Day weekend. So far, the film has made $262.1 million in theaters worldwide.
Shang-Chi‘s release was an experiment by Disney to see if their films could do well in a theater exclusive release. As has been chiefly the case, Disney simultaneously released their films in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access this past year. But with Shang-Chi, they only released the Marvel film in theaters. Thankfully for Disney, their experiment worked, and Shang-Chi has repeatedly exceeded expectations.
So, even though Shang-Chi‘s box office earnings are projected to drop 50 percent, it will still most likely be one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Surely, this information will give fans hope that a sequel is in Marvel’s plans.
What is ‘Shang-Chi about’?
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a part of Phase 4 of the MCU and is an origin story for the hero Shang-Chi. Per the film’s logline, Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
The cast includes Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. Destin Daniel Cretton directed the Marvel film.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is playing in theaters now.
