Box Office: Shang-Chi three-peats at number one

September belongs to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and that was proven again this weekend as the Marvel film retains the top spot at the box office for the third weekend in a row.

Shang-Chi grossed $21.7 million this weekend, down a respectable 37% this weekend. It’s a solid hold that gives the film the distinction of having the second-best third weekend for a September release after It ($29.75 million). Shang-Chi has a running total of $175.9 million and it’s going to topple Marvel’s Black Widow ($183.2 million) in a matter of days and will become the highest-grossing film of the year at the domestic box office. Also in its sights? $200 million! Shang-Chi will likely become the first film of the pandemic to hit the $200 million mark at the domestic box office if it continues to have strong holds like this in the coming weeks. Globally, the film has pulled in $320.6 million to date.

In second we place we find Free Guy still putting up solid numbers with a gross of $5.2 million. That’s only a 10% slide from last weekend as the film continues to be a word-of-mouth hit. To date, Free Guy has grossed $108.6 million at the domestic box office. Worldwide, Free Guy continues to shine with a running total of $298.3 million.

Debuting in third is Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho with $4.5 million. The film is also available on HBO Max to stream which was likely the method that most people in the movie’s demographic chose to watch it. Clint Eastwood can still put his demo in the seats as we saw his film The Mule leg it out over the $100 million mark in 2018. Reviews for Cry Macho were mixed at 52% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes so it just looks like the 91-year old director missed the mark here with this release.

In fourth place, we have Candyman which grossed $3.5 million, down just 26% this weekend. I think it’s interesting had its smallest decline since its theatrical release on the very weekend it was made available on PVOD. Universal Pictures will be happy with the hold this weekend as the film has brought its domestic total to $53.1 million on a reported $25 million budget. Globally, the film has taken in $65.1 million to date.

Rounding out the top five is Malignant which dropped 51% to $2.68 million. That’s a standard drop for horror and honestly the best result for a horror film that has completely divided the audience in regards to its quality. I still think that Malignant is destined for cult classic status in the future once more horror fans discover it. As of now, the $40 million film has grossed $9.8 million to date at the domestic box office.

In sixth place we have Copshop entering the marketplace with a gross of $2.3 million. It’s interesting that Joe Carnahan-directed film was released to 3,005 theaters this weekend because it was done so with minimal promotion. Had there been more marketing muscle behind the film perhaps it could’ve opened much higher, especially given the fact that critics enjoyed the film with its 80% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Legs won’t be great for the movie but this might be another release that will find new life once it’s available for home viewing.

Jungle Cruise sails to seventh place with a gross o $2.09 million. It’s another solid hold for the film as it only declined a mere 11% this weekend. To date, Jungle Cruise has grossed $112.6 million at the domestic box office.

In eighth place, we have Paw Patrol still clinging to the top ten with a gross of $1.75 million. The Paramount release has grossed $37.1. million to date and it’s likely doing solid business on Paramount+.

In ninth place we find the release of The Eyes of Tammy Faye which grossed $675,000 this weekend. The film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival and earned raves for Jessica Chastain’s performance but the movie itself received a bit of a muted response as it currently sits at a decent 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m not sure where the film goes from here but Chastain seems like a lock for a Best Actress Oscar nomination which could keep some eyes on the film moving forward.

Rounding out the top ten is Don’t Breathe 2 with a gross of $665,000. Down 42% this weekend, the horror sequel has pulled in $31.3 million to date at the domestic box office.

Looking at the international box office, Dune opened in 24 markets to a stellar $36.8 million. It ranked number one in pretty much all of the markets it debuted in and eight additional markets are expected to open next weekend with its major key markets opening in mid-October.

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