Marvel’s newest movieShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsis poised to become the year’s highest-grossing release at the domestic box office. As it stands now,Shang-Chiis in the No. 2 spot just behind fellow Marvel Studios movieBlack Widowin No. 1.Shang-Chicurrently stands at just $200K behindBlack Widowthrough Thursday’s box office numbers, and it’s certainly going to pass that number by the end of the day.
It’s worth mentioning thatShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsheld its release exclusively in theaters, whileBlack Widowhad a day-and-date release coupled with Disney+. This had led to a lawsuit against Disney filed by Scarlett Johansson, and the release strategy for new blockbuster titles has since changed. Disney has now been testing theatrical releases for movies before putting them up on Disney+ at no extra charge about 45 days later, andShang-Chihas proven how successful this can be.
Heading into this weekend, it is expected thatShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringswill maintain the No. 1 spot at thebox officefor four weeks in a row. The estimations are that it will pull in between $11-12 million, which gives it a lead over the $10 million projections for Universal’sDear Evan Hansen. If these numbers turn out to be accurate,Shang-Chiwill be sitting at around $195 million for its total domestic haul.
Behind thetwo Marvel Studios movies,F9is the third highest grossing movie at the domestic box office with $172 million, though it has the highest worldwide gross with $716 million. Stateside, what followsBlack Widow,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, andF9areA Quiet Place Part IIat $160 million andJungle Cruiseat $113 million. In order, the titles making up the rest of the top 10 areFree Guyat $109 million,Godzilla vs. Kongat $99 million,Cruellaat $86 million,Space Jam: A New Legacyat $67 million, andThe Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do Itat $65 million.
Destin Daniel Cretton directedShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsusing a screenplay he co-wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham. Simu Liu stars in the lead role alongside Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. Marvel Studios has named Shang-Chi as “the next Avenger,” and for his part, Simu Liu can’t wait to see the superhero rope the other Avengers into a karaoke competition.
“Ooo, I think that he would think that the Avengers were the coolest thing ever,” Liu said of Shang-Chi joining the team, via Tumblr. “You’re talking about a kid that spent the better part of his adult life parking cars at a valet. I think that being a part of this world saving organization of crime fighting superheroes might be a little more interesting so I definitely think he would be down if people asked. I think the other guys and gals would love him. I think he would get along and be very charming and he would rope them all up in a karaoke room and they would all be singing ‘Old Town Road’ together. I’d want to see that sequence.”
Fans can watchShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsinmovie theatersnow. The movie will later arrive on Disney+ for Disney+ Day on Nov. 12 along withJungle Cruise. This news comes to us fromDeadline.
