As expected, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings continues to dominate the box office, with the 25th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe spending a third consecutive week in the top spot. With no real competition next weekend, there’s every chance Simu Liu’s title hero will make it four in a row before Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives on October 1st.
As per Variety, Shang-Chi‘s domestic total has now passed $176 million, overtaking Fast & Furious 9 to become the second highest-grossing release of the pandemic era, and it’ll pass Black Widow‘s $183 million haul by the middle of next week. The martial arts fantasy epic only dropped 39%, which also means it’s got a real shot at becoming the first movie since Bad Boys for Life to cross the $200 million barrier.
Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho became the third Warner Bros. hybrid release to flop in quick succession after Reminiscence and Malignant, with the elegiac drama earning just $4.5 million from almost 4000 screens. Movies geared towards older audiences continue to struggle more than most at the box office, and they don’t come much older than 91 year-old legend Eastwood.
The R-rated Copshop didn’t fare too well, either, mustering $2.3 million to debut in sixth place, even though it marked the first-time clash between mid budget action titans Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo. Once again, the only real winner this weekend is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as the MCU unsurprisingly proves itself as the brand to beat, even in the midst of an industry-wide downturn in business.