‘Shang-Chi’ Is First Pandemic Era Movie To Make $200 Million
As audiences return to movie theaters after over a year of watching movies at home, we’re starting to see box office numbers creep back up into the hundred millions. Marvel’s latest MCU blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings achieved a box office milestone on Thursday, becoming the first movie in the pandemic era to cross $200 million domestically.
Unlike Black Widow, which was released simultaneously on Disney+ and in theaters, Shang-Chi received its own exclusive theatrical window upon its debut in September. Without the option to rent the film through Disney+’s Premier Access feature, Marvel fans flocked to theaters to see the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed film. Bolstered by positive reviews and praise for its lead Simu Liu, Shang-Chi has become the sixth-highest grossing movie of 2021.
Alongside Liu, Shang-Chi’s cast also includes Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Tony Leung, Fala Chen and Michelle Yeoh. It is Marvel Studios’ first film to be helmed by an Asian director and feature a predominantly Asian cast. Besides its impressive action sequences, Shang-Chi has been applauded by critics for its exploration and representation of Asian culture as well as the family drama at its core.
Shang-Chi grossed $94.7 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend, eventually surpassing Black Widow to become the highest grossing pandemic-era release in North America. Now, Shang-Chi is currently approaching $370 million in global ticket sales. The movie’s impressive box office performance in such unprecedented times will likely encourage Disney to give future Phase Four releases an exclusive theatrical window as well.
A vast majority of movie theaters in the U.S. have reopened according to county guidelines, with safety and cleaning protocols in place. You can head to a theater and watch Shang-Chi, or wait until November 12 for the film to arrive on Disney+ as a part of the service’s “Disney+ Day” celebration. Or, if you prefer to consume your movies the old-fashioned way, Shang-Chi will be released on DVD and Blu-ray November 30.