Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' smashed box office records with a $90 million haul over Labor Day weekend

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first Asian-led film and stars Simu Liu.

• "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" will earn $90 million in its first four days of release.
• The film's box-office earnings have already broken the previous Labor Day weekend record set in 2007.
• "Shang-Chi" had the second-largest opening weekend during the pandemic behind "Black Widow."
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Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" will finish the four-day weekend having earned over $90 million in the US, breaking the Labor Day box office record.

"Shang Chi," which is the MCU's first Asian-led superhero film, debuted on September 3. According to Variety, Labor Day weekend is typically slow but "Shang-Chi" amassed $75.5 million from 4,300 theaters in three days. Disney projects the film will add $14.5 million more on Monday, according to Deadline.

This means "Shang Chi" will easily break the previous Labor Day record set by "Halloween" in 2007, which earned $30.6 million over four days.

"Shang-Chi" also became the second-largest opening weekend during the pandemic behind Marvel's "Black Widow," which earned $80 million over three days, Variety reported.

While "Black Widow" was simultaneously released in theaters and on Disney+, "Shang-Chi" had a staggered rollout. The film will play only in theaters for its first 45 days before debuting on Disney+.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek called the film's release an "interesting experiment" during the company's Q3 earnings call in August.

"Shang Chi" star Simu Liu later took to Instagram and Twitter to seemingly react to Chapek's comments, saying: "We are not an 'interesting experiment."

"We are the underdog; the underestimated," Liu continued. "We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise."

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige addressed Liu's comments at the film's premiere, saying there was a "misunderstanding" around Chapek's comments.

"The proof is in the movie," Feige said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "And we swing for the fences as we always do. With the amount of creative energy we put in and the budget, there's no expense spared to bring this origin story to the screen."

Over the weekend, "Shang-Chi" also scored well in international markets like Spain, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom to accumulate $56.2 million, Variety reported. Globally, the film made $146.2 million.