Less than a week before Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released, projections still had it pegged for the lowest opening weekend in Marvel Cinematic Universe history, a benchmark that’s been held by The Incredible Hulk‘s $55 million since the summer of 2008.
Not only did it vastly exceed any and all predictions with a haul in excess of $70 million, but it also more than tripled the four-day Labor Day record Rob Zombie’s Halloween had been clutching tight for fourteen years. On top of that, the franchise’s 25th installment has now surpassed Black Widow‘s $183 million tally to become the highest-grossing domestic release of the pandemic era as per Deadline.
Heading into the weekend, Shang-Chi‘s domestic tally sits at an impressive $183 million, and it’ll sail past $190 million by Sunday with a fourth consecutive weekend at number one. The next milestone to check off is $200 million, which no movie has managed to reach since Bad Boys for Life, which hit theaters all the way back in January 2020.
Globally, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is sitting on $325 million, making it the fifth most successful Hollywood blockbuster of the COVID-19 crisis behind only Fast & Furious 9, Godzilla vs. Kong, Black Widow, and Tenet, so it’s been a phenomenal performance all-round from the martial arts fantasy epic.