Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the big opening this weekend. There are encouraging signs already in regards to box office performance. According to Box Office Pro, the Marvel film made $8.8 million Thursday night in North America. However, that is less than it’s Marvel predecessor, Black Widow. That Scarlett Johansson film bowed July 9 with $80 million U.S. ticket sales. Furthermore, it brought in $60 million via Disney+ Premier Access.
This weekend’s Shang-Chi will be a theater exclusive- no Disney+ access for 45 days. We’re already seeing the impact of theater exclusivity-many AMC Theatres are showing shows selling out or in “almost full” status. For example, one of the country’s newest cinemas, AMC Porter Ranch 9, is showing several shows Friday night as “almost full”.
Interestingly, one of AMC’s largest cinema’s, New York City’s Empire 25 is showing Shang-Chi with Mandarin and Spanish subtitles. Many of the prime seats for tonight’s late showing with Mandarin are already spoken for.
Critical Reception
The Simu Liu and Awkwafina film currently has an amazing 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes as of early Friday evening in New York City. Furthermore, the audience score sits at 99%. The buzz from fans and critics alike has been palpable. Movie podcast host John Campea has seen it three times already and has three more scheduled at his local AMC.
Some other reaction from film critics:
About Shang-Chi
Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.
What Else
Last weekend’s box office champ, Candyman, brought in $22.4 million a week ago. The Universal horror film is directed by Nia DaCosta and is showing the durability of the genre.
Candyman is based on the 1992 film of the same name. Furthermore, it tells the story about a supernatural killer. He appears when his name is repeated five times in a mirror. Producers include Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld and Ian Cooper.
