Shang-Chi breaks Labor Day box office record amid pandemic

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Disney’s latest Marvel movie, which would normally guarantee it an explosive opening weekend at the box office. Unlike past releases like Mulan and Black Widow, which debuted simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ (for an extra fee), Shang-Chi is exclusively in theaters for 45 days. And with the Delta variant scaring many people away from theaters, it was hard to be sure what would happen.

Well, the odds are in Disney’s favor, at least so far. THR reports that Shang-Chi brought in a domestic total of $75.5 million (it’s at around $127.6 million global), well above expectations. It’s expected to clear $90 million domestic once the long weekend is over, easily setting a record for a Labor Day Weekend debut.

Disney is surely happy about this. There could be a fly in the ointment, however…

Black Widow beat Shang-Chi in its three-day debut

Shang-Chi had a great three-day domestic debut, but one movie this year beat it: Marvel’s own Black Widow, which opened back in July. That movie pulled in $80.3 million over three days, only to fall off a cliff the next weekend. Black Widow has since earned $371.3 million at the global box office, which is a huge number but small for a Marvel movie, so small that star Scarlett Johansson even sued Disney, claiming that the studio hampered the movie’s box office potential by also making it available on Disney+.

I find it odd that outlets seem to be reporting the Shang-Chi numbers as proof that theaters can still pull in huge numbers during the pandemic. Even studios are taking action, with Sony moving the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage up to October 1 from October 15 reportedly because of Shang-Chi’s strong performance. And all this after what happened with Black Widow. Again, that movie did even better than Shang-Chi on its opening weekend and is now considered a failure. Disney may not want to pop the champagne just yet; give it another week, at least.

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