Movie

'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' sets record again for the best second-weekend gross of the pandemic, edging out previous Marvel movie 'Black Widow'.

• Sep 13, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" continued to impress on its second weekend. The latest Marvel movie holds atop the North American box office with an estimated $35.8 million, setting the record for the best second-weekend gross of the pandemic.

The Simu Liu-starring film has currently grossed $145.6 million domestically and is already the fourth-highest grossing film of 2021. With a 53% decrease from last week, it is holding up better than previous Marvel movie "Black Widow", which saw a significant 70% fall on its second weekend.

Internationally, "Shang-Chi" took in $112 million for a total global haul of $257.6 million, even before it opens in China, which is an important market for Marvel movies.

"Shang-Chi" faced little to no competition at the top spot as newcomer "Malignant" debuts softly with an estimated $5.6 million domestically. Overseas, the James Wan-directed horror pic added $6.3 million from 69 markets.

"This is a weak opening for a genre that's held up well during the pandemic," says David. A Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "With the film available on HBO, this start is below average."

The film, which marks Wan's return to horror, generated mostly positive reviews from critics, with an average rating of 6.2/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences seemed to disagree as they gave it an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale, according to CinemaScore.

"Free Guy", meanwhile, rises up one spot to reclaim the runner-up place with approximately $5.8 million. The Ryan Reynolds-starrer has crossed the $100M mark domestically, bringing its worldwide gross to $276.5 million so far.

Another horror movie, "Candyman", drops two spots to No. 4 with an estimated $4.8 million. Trailing behind in the fifth place is "Jungle Cruise", which adds an estimated $2.4 million on its second weekend.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Sep. 10-12, 2021):

1. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" - $35.8 million
2. "Free Guy" - $5.8 million
3. "Malignant" - $5.6 million
4. "Candyman" - $4.8 million
5. "Jungle Cruise" - $2.4 million
6. "PAW Patrol: The Movie" - $2.2 million
7. "Don't Breathe 2" - $1.2 million
8. "The Card Counter" - $1.1 million
9. "Show Me the Father" - $700,000
10. "Respect" - $503,000