Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made a killing at the domestic box office with an impressive $90 million haul over Labor Day Weekend.
This is after a pandemic-high opening day take of $29.6 million on opening day alone as well as $56.2 million in overseas sales, making its total gross $146.2 million as of this writing.
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Part of that success is likely due to Shang-Chi’s theater-only distribution strategy, its largely self-contained story in comparison to other MCU entries, and the fact that its hero is far different from any others we’ve seen in the film universe up to this point in terms of personality.
Why Shang-Chi Is Different
He’s an average guy in the MCU world who just happens to have mad kung-fu skills. It also helps that Hollywood veterans Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung are among the talented cast and give it unique weight among foreign markets where a majority of blockbusters’ money is typically made nowadays.
Shang-Chi’s success also heralds hope for the future of huge blockbusters staying on the big screen rather than a dual-release model being used at every instance. Both rollout plans have their benefits and drawbacks, but hopefully a happy medium can be reached between the two in the future. For now, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is kicking butt and taking names at the box office and we couldn’t be happier. Stay tuned here on The Illuminerdi for any and all Shang-Chi-related news as it develops.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, and Ronny Chieng. It is written and directed by Daniel Cretton.
What did you think of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Did you enjoy the action? What’s your favorite Tony Leung performance? Let us know in the comments below and on our Twitter.
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Source: Comic Book Movie
