Box Office: Shang-Chi continues to dominate in its second weekend

The second weekend following a big holiday weekend always sees relatively steep declines but the second weekend of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings manages to hold relatively well and maintains its position at the number one spot for the second weekend in a row.

Shang-Chi grossed $35.8 million over the weekend which represented a 53% decline from its debut. This is a pretty standard decline for most Marvel installments during pre-pandemic times and given the fact the film was coming off of a pretty robust Laboy Day weekend, this hold is pretty damn good. Keep in mind, Black Widow tumbled 70% in its second weekend after its $80.3 million debut, fueled mostly by its availability on the Disney+ Premier Access Program and a surge in piracy. With a gross of $35.8 million, Shang-Chi holds the third-biggest second weekend for a September release behind It ($60.1 million) and It: Chapter Two ($39.6 million). To date, Shang-Chi has grossed $145.6 million domestically and it will likely hold the number one position until the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage on October 1, 2021. Shang-Chi was also still strong overseas, grossing $35.2 million from 42 international markets and bringing its global total to $257.6 million to date.

In second place, we find Free Guy which grossed $5.8 million. The film declined 35% this weekend which is its steepest drop since its release but this is coming off of the Laboy Day weekend so this was to be expected. Free Guy has kept all of its declines below 50% which just shows how much its exclusive theatrical run is actually working and the power of its word of mouth. To date, Free Guy has grossed $101.8 million at the domestic box office. Free Guy also continues to shine internationally, grossing $17.3 million from 47 international markets which brings its global haul to $276.5 million.

A long way down in third place we find our only new wide release this weekend. James Wan’s return to horror, Malignant, managed to only gross $5.57 million. The film is also available on HBO Max and I guarantee a lot of people opted to watch the movie at home rather than on the big screen but Warner Bros. handling of the film also comes off a bit questionable. Reviews were held until practically the last minute for the film, which is usually a bad sign about the movie’s quality, but that wasn’t the case with Malignant. The film is currently 75% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes which is pretty good for a horror movie. My guess is Warner Bros. wasn’t aware of what they had with Malignant or they simply weren’t confident enough. To pretty much dumb the film during a random weekend in September seems odd, especially since the film carries a surprisingly high $40 million budget. James Wan is currently at the helm of their Aquaman franchise. This isn’t a director that merely gets a project dumped like this so the whole release strategy just doesn’t add up. One theory is that Warner Bros. didn’t know how to properly market Malignant because of its bonkers twist ending which made it hard to reveal what Malignant was about without giving anything away. Where does Malignant go from here? Well, opening night moviegoers weren’t all that impressed with the film as they graced it with a “C” CinemaScore, which is not good for the horror genre. Word of mouth won’t be great but horror fans will likely make this film a cult classic down the road. Overseas, Malignant pulled in $6.3 million from 69 international markets which brings its global tally to $15.1 million.

Candyman slides to fourth place with $4.83 million, down 53% from the previous weekend. Despite the decline, Candyman thrived a bit over the Labor Day weekend so its current domestic total of $48 million is a win for Universal Pictures. The movie carries a $25 million budget and keep in mind the film has also grossed an additional $10.9 million internationally. Candyman will be considered a modest win for Universal and it will be viewed as a box office success story during the pandemic.

Rounding out the top five is Jungle Cruise, which grossed $2.4 million. The film declined 39% this weekend, a solid hold coming off the Laboy Day weekend holiday and for a film currently in its seventh weekend that’s also available to Disney+ users willing to pay for Premier Access. To date, Jungle Cruise has grossed $109.8 million at the domestic box office. Globally, the film has taken in $201.6 million.

In sixth place, we have Paw Patrol, which grossed $2.2 million. The film dropped 45% from last weekend and I imagine Paramount Pictures is ok with the film’s performance considering it has grossed $34.6 million to date while also being available to stream on Paramount+ during its entire theatrical run.

Don’t Breathe 2 resides in seventh place with a gross of $1.15 million. The horror sequel declined 50% this weekend as it brings its domestic total to $30.2 million. Again, it hasn’t had the legs of its predecessor but its $15 million budget has allowed the sequel to become a modes hit overall.

Debuting in eighth place is The Card Counter, which grossed $1.1 million. Focus didn’t go wide with the Paul Schrader-directed film, opting to open the film in 580 theaters so The Card Counter needed the demo to come out and it just seems like not enough was done to make the film’s presence known. The reviews were definitely there. The Card Counter is 86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing but awareness of the film was lacking and that seems to be the main issue.

The faith-based Show Me the Father debuts in ninth place with $700,000. The Sony release went out to 1,073 theaters this weekend which is pretty sizable for a release like this. The fact that it’s making an appearance in the top ten should be considered a win. No reviews counted on Rotten Tomatoes as of yet but the audience score sits at 99% which indicates that there may be something good to see here. The film features captivating stories interwoven with inspirational truths about the fatherhood of God.

Rounding out the top ten is Respect with $503,000. The Aretha Franklin biopic declined 59% this weekend and brings its domestic total to $23.1 million in five weeks. The film is currently available on PVOD so I imagine more eyes will discover the movie now that it’s available at home.

What are YOUR thoughts on this weekend’s box office?