411 Box Office Report: Shang-Chi Continues to Rule, Cry Macho Opens Soft

There’s no holding Shang-Chi back, as the newest MCU hero continued to dominate the box office this weekend. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings came in at #1 for the third weekend in a row, tallying another $21.7 million. That’s down just 37% from last weekend, an impressive hold that allowed the Marvel film post the second-best third September weekend ever (behind It’s $29.8 million).

That take brings Shang-Chi up to $176.9 million domestically and $320.6 million worldwide, fantastic numbers especially considering the film has not opened in China. It is continuing to outpace several similarly-performing MCU films such as Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man & The Wasp, and Black Widow, and others. The movie has nothing huge coming up until Venom: Let There Be Carnage on October 1st, and at this point $200 million domestically is a given with $220 million not out of the question. It’s a big hit for Marvel, even against a $150 million production budget.

Free Guy held on even better, slipping a mere 7% in its sixth weekend to $5.2 million. The Ryan Reynolds-starring action comedy has been showing incredible holds week to week and has already nearly quadrupled its opening weekend take. Free Guy has grossed $108.6 million domestically and $283.2 million worldwide against a $100 million budget, and should be able to finish out over $120 million at this point.

Clint Eastwood saw his latest film misfire in Cry Macho, which had a flat opening with just $4.5 million. The drama’s opening was around the level of Eastwood’s last film, 2019’s Richard Jewell which started at $4.7 million.

This is a tough entry for Eastwood, and it came into the weekend with multiple strikes against it. Eastwood’s films play to an older demographic, which have two relevant characteristics to movie-going right now. First, they pay more attention to critical consensus than younger audiences, and Cry Macho’s 52% Rotten Tomatoes aggregate score ranks well below his films’ usual numbers.

But more importantly, older audiences are far more hesitant to go to theaters right now due to the pandemic than younger audiences. Films targeted to older crowds have been bombing throughout 2021 (see also: Respect, Finding You, Here Today, Stillwater) and there was never any indication that Cry Macho was going to change that. While the HBO Max day-and-date release probably didn’t help, it at least gave Warner Bros. a chance to get someone to see it and mark up some revenue for the $33 million film.

Things aren’t going to get better for this one, sadly. Audience word of mouth is not wonderful, with a B CinemaScore which is Eastwood’s worst since The 15:17 to Paris in 2018. Cry Macho seems likely to close out with less than $15 million in the US, a rare failure for the director.

Candyman was down just 26% in its fourth weekend to bring in $3.5 million. The Nia DaCosta-directed film is already profitable and just earning more and more at this point, with $53.2 million domestically and $66.7 million worldwide against a $25 million budget. This film is still aiming for $58 million to $60 million as a final domestic total.

Malignant fell 51% in its second weekend, which would be average for a horror film but is actually pretty respectable considering this film’s highly divisive nature. The James Wan-directed giallo-esque movie took in $2.7 million, bringing its totals to $9.8 million domestically and $24.6 million. It’s still not going to be a success strictly out of theaters considering it had a $40 million budget, but it may not quite be the disaster that most expected it to be after last weekend’s low start. It should close out at around $15 million to $18 million in the US.

Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo’s new action-thriler CopShop opened quietly as expected, bringing in $2.3 million. The Open Road production has flown well under the radar and that showed in the box office results despite strong critical consensus (80% on RT).

CopShop was mostly a victim of that low marketing, which honestly isn’t a shock. A violent action-thriller of this level doesn’t tend to get a huge marketing push and during the pandemic? Forget about it.

CopShop also doesn’t have amazing word of mouth; it didn’t get a CinemaScore but PostTrak reports a 62% positive and 39% recommend. This one seems unlikely to top $10 million and while we don’t know the budget, this won’t be a hit.

Jungle Cruise is continuing its unstoppable run, as it slipped just 10% to $2.1 million in its eighth weekend. The adventure film has now grossed $112.6 million domestically and $199.4 million worldwide, plus the amount its made on Disney+ Premier Access, making it profitable even against its $200 million budget once all the revenue streams are tallied. It should finish off at around $120 million or so domestically.

Paw Patrol: The Movie took in $1.8 million in its fifth weekend, off 24% from last weekend. The animated family movie is now up to $37.1 million domestically and $81 million worldwide, a money maker for Paramount against a $26 million budget. The film is also available on Paramount+, bringing in some more revenue there. It should end its domestic run in the $42 million range.

Opening in limited release was The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which was solid-ish with $675,000. The Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield-starring docudrama about Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker doesn’t have great critical word at 66% on RT, but is bringing solid word of mouth at a B+ CinemaScore. Searchlight will be expanding the film next weekend, and that will be the test as to whether it can break through.

Don’t Breathe 2 slipped 43% in its sixth weekend to $665,000. The horror sequel is up to $31.3 million domestically and $45.9 million worldwide. It’s already a hit against its $14 million production budget plus marketing. It should end its run with around $34 million.

There are three new wide releases next weekend, with Dear Evan Hansen having the best chance to topple Shang-Chi if it can overcome some fairly negative buzz. Its opening is aiming for anywhere from the high single digits to mid-teens. The Eyes of Tammy Faye goes to over 1,000 theaters next week and both it and Sony’s faith-based drama Courageous Legacy will be in the low single digits.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – $21.7 million ($176.9 million total)
2. Free Guy – $5.2 million ($108.6 million total)
3. Cry Macho – $4.5 million ($4.5 million total)
4. Candyman – $3.5 million ($53.2 million total)
5. Malignant – $2.7 million ($9.8 million total)
6. CopShop – $2.3 million ($2.3 million total)
7. Jungle Cruise – $2.1 million ($112.6 million total)
8. Paw Patrol: The Movie – $1.8 million ($37.1 million total)
9. The Eyes of Tammy Faye – $675,000 ($675,000 total)
10. Don’t Breathe 2 – $665,000 ($31.3 million total)