For a third weekend in the row, Shang-Chi has battled its way to the top of the box office.
The superhero standalone earned a $21.7 million at the domestic box office from 4,070 theaters, dropping 37 percent, bringing its total North American ticket sales to a massive $176.9 million. The PG-13 movie, which boasts an A CinemaScore, stars Simu Liu as Marvel’s newest hero and is the studio’s first to center on an Asian lead.
In its opening weekend, the Marvel feature grossed a massive $90 million and had the second-biggest three-day debut of the pandemic year so far, coming in behind fellow Marvel Studios pic Black Widow and above Universal’s F9. The movie has continued to break pandemic records and is now the second highest grossing domestic release of the year behind Black Widow. Unlike Black Widow, which premiered day-and-date in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access, Shang-Chi is exclusively in theaters and is looking to soon overtake the Scarlett Johansson-starrer’s $183 million domestic box office.
With an estimated $320.6 million worldwide gross to date (the movie earned $20.3 million overseas this weekend), Shang-Chi is the fourth highest MPA global movie of 2021.
Coming in second is 20th Century/ Disney’s Free Guy, now in its sixth weekend at the multiplex. The Ryan Reynolds-led action-comedy fell only 7 percent, for a weekend gross of $5.2 million, and a cume-to-date of $108.5 million.
The weekend’s biggest new release, Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho, came in third with three-day earnings of $4.5 million at 3,967 theaters. The PG-13 neo-western from the 91-year-old, which has a B CinemaScore and a budget of $33 million, follows a one-time rodeo star and horse breeder (Eastwood) who takes a job to bring a man’s young son home.
Like all the 2022 Warner Bros titles, Cry Macho debuted day-and-date on HBO Max and in theaters. It is the latest in a string of titles, including Malignant and Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence, that have fallen flat at the box office. The studio, with Legendary, is gearing up for the Oct. 22 domestic release of Dune, which premiered this weekend in some international territories with an impressive $36.8 million.
Coming in fourth and fifth are Universal’s Candyman and New Line/ Warner Bros.’ Malignant. The Nia DaCosta-directed R-rated horror is in its fourth weekend dropped only 26 percent, screening at 2,820 locations, earning $3.5 million for a total domestic haul of $53.1 million. The R-rated horror from James Wan pulled in $2.6 million in its second weekend in release across 2,500 locations for a total of $9.8 million.
Opening in its first weekend at the specialty box office is the Searchlight title The Eyes of Tammy Faye, earning $675,000 from 450 for a per-screen average of $1500. The movie from Freckle Films and Madison Wells, which has a B+ on Cinemascore, stars Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield as the infamous televangelists Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker. It will be expanding to 1000 locations next weekend.
Source: HollyWood
