Of the eleven installments in the Halloween franchise to date, seven of them were released between October 13th and 30th (as expected given the title).
The Curse of Michael Myers arrived in September 1995; H20: 20 Years Later on August 5th. Rob Zombie’s remake and its sequel favored Labor Day weekend, though, and it worked well.
For 14 years, Zombie’s reinvention of the Michael Myers mythos has held the record for the highest-grossing Labor Day debutant, after earning $30 million. It remained on top for so long because very movies choose release on the holiday; however, a new benchmark would be set when Marvel entered the fray.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings didn’t just smash Halloween’s record, but absolutely annihilated them after earning almost $95 million through Labor Day, more than tripling the existing high. Gracious in defeat, Zombie took to Instagram to offer his congratulations.
After tracking for the MCU’s worst-ever opening, the cast and crew have every right to celebrate Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ stunning first frame, which blew even the most optimistic projections out of the water. It’s a triumph. In the midst of a pandemic, makes it all even more impressive.