Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Has Strong Preview Box Office Debut

September 3, 2021

Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiered last night, and according to early box office numbers, did pretty well amidst the recent COVID-19-era films.

According to a recent report from Variety, Shang-Chi debuted to $8.8 million in Thursday night previews, which is good for the second-highest preview result of the films debuted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film only trailed behind Black Widow, which racked up $13.2 million in its opening night, but did top other big blockbusters like F9 and A Quiet Place Part II.

With Shang-Chi currently set to stay in movie theaters for 45 days, the film is also reported to be on pace to gain even more money, especially when compared to other films that have gone to streaming sites day-and-date with their theater launch. According to Variety, the film is expected to open with between $45 million to $50 million at the domestic box office, but that number could now climb higher thanks to the strong early returns.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings features Kim’s Convenience actor Simu Liu as the Master of Kung-Fu, Shang-Chi in Marvel’s first Asian-led superhero movie. Shang Chi gets into some trouble when he has to confront his past in a mysterious organization.

The film also stars Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Ronny Chieng, Florian Munteanu, Yuen Wah and Dallas Liu. Joining them are MCU alums Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), and Michelle Yeoh in her second role within the MCU following her appearance as a different character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Destin Daniel Cretton is directing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings using a screenplay he co-wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham. It hails from producers Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers.