By Chris Kavan - 09/15/21 at 11:59 PM CT
After the bounty of riches from the past few weeks, the ratings bulletin is a bit on the light side this week with but a single wide release - and one quite far down the pipeline at that. Lucky for us the box office is still full of fireworks thanks the Shang-Chi - but not so much for Malignant. James Wan's return to horror didn't get much love from audiences, who may have been more inclined (like me, I admit) to watch it from home on HBO Max instead.
The box office got a huge Labor-Day boost from the record-setting Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the latest MCU film continued to dominate with a $34.7 million second weekend - the best second-weekend of any film of 2021 thus far. Due to those numbers, Shang-Chi also became the fastest film to hit the $100 million mark for the year as well and will probably continue that trend with $150 million as it sits just below that mark at $144.5 million. While the film fell 54% in its second weekend, that is in line with many past MCU films and looks a lot better than Black Widow's steeper 67.8% hit. If Disney was mulling its theatrical vs. theatrical/streaming hybrid model, it seems Shang-Chi finally gave them solid enough results that the company has decided all its remaining 2021 films (including the likes of The Eternals and West Side Story) will be theatrical only - with streaming coming after. That also has to make theater owners happy as well and I have no problem with that decision as I still think watching a good film on the big screen is just a better experience than watching at home. Shang-Chi has also earned $112 million overseas - without any help from China - and has a worldwide total of $256 million.
A fair bit below, Ryan Reynold's Free Guy took the second-place spot with a $5.58 million weekend, which was just enough for the film to cross the $100 million mark with a final tally of $101.6 million total. That was a 37.2% drop over last weekend, though that's still pretty good for a film entering its fifth weekend out. It has also earned an additional $175 million overseas, giving the films a well-rounded $275 million worldwide total.
The week's only new wide release may have featured a modern master of horror returning to his roots, but the results were decidedly underwhelming for Malignant. James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring) can count plenty of horror hits to his name, but the Giallo-inspired Malignant, despite getting positive critical reviews, didn't find the same connection with audiences. At just $5.4 million (and $9.5 million overseas) the film is going to fall short of its modest $40 million budget by a wide margin. I personally found the film to be a bit of a letdown myself and not even a crazy third-act twist (a bit silly as far as I'm concerned) could save it.
You only have to drop a one spot to find a better-received horror film, the Candyman redo may have fallen about 54% but its $4.76 million puts it a hair short of $50 million with a $47.9 million total - with an additional $11.2 million from overseas.
Rounding out the top five is another Disney offering, Jungle Cruise, which has been chugging along nicely for seven weeks now. With a $2.32 million weekend (down about 42%), the Dwayne Johnson/Emily Blunt adventure has earned a very nice $109.77 million - rising up to just under $200 million worldwide. A fine cruise indeed.
I have a feeling Shang-Chi is going to remain on top for a third straight week when it faces Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho as well as the action-oriented Copshop.
From box office fireworks to a modest MPAA Ratings Bulletin where we find but one film, Distant, an apt name for a film that won't drop until March of 2022.
Because Distant, no pun intended, is so far out, there is, unfortunately, not a lot to go on. This sci-fi/comedy follows an asteroid miner (Anthony Ramos) who has crash-landed on an alien planet and must contend with a harsh environment, strange creatures and dwindling oxygen as he makes his way towards the only other survivor (Naomi Scott) before falling victim to any number of violent deaths. His only companion on this journey seems to be his AI-enhanced survival suit (voiced by the versatile Zachary Quinto). Maybe an odd-couple type of situation with danger that is more zany than violent. Ramos is best known for his roles in musicals like In the Heights and Hamilton, but has experience with monsters - appearing in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as well as action with a role in Honest Thief. It will be interesting to see how that mix of talent works here. Rated PG-13 for creature violence and some strong language.
That's all you get this week, but by all means, feel free to check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Rated PG for rude material and some thematic elements.
DISTANT
Rated PG-13 for creature violence and some strong language.
THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN
Rated PG-13 for some thematic material and strong language.
HIDE AND SEEK
Rated R for some violence, disturbing images, nudity, and for language.
LICORICE PIZZA
Rated R for language, sexual material and some drug use.
MOSLEY
Rated PG for violence and peril, thematic elements and a smoking image.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: NEXT OF KIN
Rated R for violence and bloody images, and language throughout.
PUPS ALONE
Rated PG for rude material, language, mild violence and brief smoking.
RED ROCKET
Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and pervasive language.
ROCK A BYE
Rated R for language and some sexual references.
A COP MOVIE
Rated R for language and brief sexuality.
