Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

After two years of battles with the coronavirus and its variants, one superhero was able to score against it. The latest installment of Spider-Man: No Way Home pushed the virus’s most transmissible variant, Omicron, out of its way as it bulldozed toward $1 billion in worldwide box-office gross.

On its fourth weekend, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings still conquered. The first Marvel movie directed by an Asian filmmaker and headlined by a predominantly Asian cast stayed number one and became the biggest-grossing film not only of this year but also of the coronavirus pandemic era.

Dune, Denis Villeneuve’s well-received feature adaptation of roughly the first half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction novel, debuted impressively in the international market, especially in Russia, Italy, Germany, and France. The movie, which premiered at the recent Venice Film Festival, amassed $35.

After an impressive debut in which its initial box office figures turned out to be even higher, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stayed on top on its second weekend. Grabbing $35.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings not only shattered the ceiling as the trailblazing Asian and Asian-American-led superhero film but it also crushed all box office forecasts, tracking estimates, and Hollywood predictions. Featuring a breakout performance from Simu Liu, who has never headlined a major movie before, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also boasts of a strong Asian and Asian-American supporting cast, including Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Wah Yuen, and Benedict Wong.