Shang-Chi on Track for Record-Breaking Labor Day Weekend at US Box Office

Based on early box office results from Deadline, Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings looks to be on track to have a record-breaking opening weekend for the four-day Labor Day Weekend. Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake of Halloween held the previous weekend record at $30.5 million.

Despite opening during a global pandemic, the film brought in an estimated $29.6 million on Friday. That’s just behind the opening day for F9, which grossed $29.9 million on its opening day in June. The Marvel Phase 4 entry is now expected to bring in $67.8 million for its opening weekend and $75-$85 million+ for the four-day holiday weekend. That would be the largest box office opening weekend for Labor Day pre or post-pandemic.

If the numbers are accurate, this would give Shang-Chi the third biggest box office opening weekend during the time of new films being released during the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be behind only F9 with $70 million and Marvel’s Black Widow with $80.3 million, which currently stands at No. 1.

The film’s Friday gross of $29.6 million include $8.8 million from Thursday night previews. The Thursday night figure surpassed the $7.1 million F9 garnered for Thursday night showings earlier in the summer.

Disney opted to open the film with an exclusive 45-day theatrical window, which company CEO Bob Chapek called “an interesting experiment.” Previously, Disney had opened new films such as Black Widow, Jungle Cruise and Cruella this year with day-and-date releases in both theaters and on the Disney+ streaming service as Premier Access releases.

Star Simu Liu later criticized Chapek’s remarks on Twitter, noting: “We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.”

Shang-Chi finally arrived in theaters this month after multiple delays. The film was originally slated to release on February 12. It was later pushed back multiple times due to the pandemic before Disney ultimately settled on a Labor Day weekend release.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now in theaters. You can check out 411’s official reviews of the film HERE and HERE.