Shang-Chi sets new US Labour Day box office record despite Covid-19 pandemic

The Marvel picture Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has crushed the record for openings on the US Labour Day holiday weekend. Earning US$127.6 million globally since its cinematic release on September 3, 2021, the film grossed an estimated US$71.4 million in ticket sales in US cinemas alone over the first two days of the long weekend. The take surpassed the previous Labour Day record of US$30.6 million set in 2007 by the Halloween remake. Shang-Chi was also enjoying the second-highest opening weekend since the start of the pandemic, trailing only the US$80.3 million earned in July by another Marvel film, Black Widow. The first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie featuring an Asian superhero did particularly well in cities with large Asian populations, including San Francisco, Honolulu and Vancouver. Shang-Chi is also the first Marvel film to be released exclusively in theatres since July 2019, and will run for 45 before being offered on the Disney+ online streaming platform.