‘Shang-Chi’ runs rings around box office competition
LOS ANGELES: ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ the Disney blockbuster featuring Marvel’s first leading Asian superhero, dominated the North American box office for a third straight week, taking in US$21.7 million, figures showed Sunday.
The film — starring Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu as a former assassin in the shadow of an evil father (Hong Kong legend Tony Leung) — has so far earned US$176.9 million in US and Canadian theaters, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
Sci-fi comedy ‘Free Guy,’ from 20th Century, held steady in second spot with US$5.2 million. It stars Ryan Reynolds as an everyman bank teller who discovers he’s actually a nonplayer character in a huge video game. Third place went to new entrant ‘Cry Macho,’ the latest gritty drama by the legendary Clint Eastwood, who directs and stars as a retired rodeo rider helping a teenager and his fighting rooster leave Mexico. The Warner Brothers film earned US$4.5 million. In fourth place, for a second week running, was Universal’s slasher film ‘Candyman,’ a reimagining of the classic 1992 film of the same name.
It took in US$3.5 million this weekend, and so far has topped $53 million overall in North America.
Another horror movie, ‘Malignant,’ came in fifth with nearly US$2.7 million, while comedy/action new entry ‘Copshop’ opened in sixth spot, with US$2.3 million. The movie business is still struggling with the covid-19 pandemic and its delta variant. Studios are putting out far fewer movies than they did before the crisis: Friday-to-Sunday domestic sales for the top 10 films fell 23 per cent from the previous weekend, narrower than the 30 per cent decline forecasted by Boxoffice Pro.
‘Shang-Chi,’ the first Marvel film with an Asian lead, is playing only in theatres and won’t be available to streaming customers of Disney+ or for online viewing for another few weeks.
Theater executives have lauded this arrangement, and said it contributes to higher ticket sales.
Cinemas will likely have to wait until Oct 8 for a major jolt, when the new James Bond film ‘No Time to Die’ from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hits theatres after multiple delays.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
• Jungle Cruise(US$2.1 million, for a totaUSl of US$112.6 million)
• Paw Patrol: The Movie” (US$1.7 million)
Don’t Breathe 2” (US$1.2 million)
• The Eyes of Tammy Faye (US$675,000)