By Chris Kavan - 09/22/21 at 01:32 PM CT
As the MCU continues to dominate the box office, we also get an MCU update in the MPAA Ratings Bulletin. It's a double-dose of heroes, so I hope you're up for it. While Shang-Chi continues to boost the box office, the same can't be said for Clint Eastwood or the action-oriented Copshop - both of which failed to generate much heat in their respective debuts. It's a pretty clear sign that certain age groups ("cough" old people "cough") aren't quite as willing to return to the big screen just yet.
Three weeks out and Disney's latest MCU effort, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is showing little signs of slowing down. With a relatively light 37.6% drop, Shang-Chi brought in a another $21.6 million, which was enough for the film to cross the $175 million with a finally tally of $176.8 million. There is little doubt at this point that Shang-Chi will top Black Widow ($183.4 million) by next weekend. With a worldwide total of over $300 million at this point, it will also surpass the $377.8 million as well - even without being able to count on the lucrative China market. Shang-Chi should be able to cross the $200 million domestic mark as well - the first film of the pandemic era to reach that mark. Whether this is enough for Disney to drop its hybrid model altogether remains to be seen - but, at least for 2021 - they seem to be happy enough with Shang-Chi to give theatrical exclusives a pass for the rest of the year.
In second place is another stalwart, Free Guy, which dropped a miniscule 8.8% (the best hold of any film in the top 10) in its sixth week, bringing in $5 million and giving the Ryan Reynolds film a new $108.4 million total. With over $189 million in foreign territories the film is just a few million away from topping $300 million worldwide and will surely hit that mark by next weekend. While Shang-Chi may be the big story, don't discount the performance of this wholly original story.
In third place we find one of the new films opening over the weekend, Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho. While it was expected to maybe give Shang-Chi some competition, it turns out the intended audience was probably much more comfortable watching this one from home as the Delta variant continues to throw a wrench into things. Cry Macho could only manage a $4.42 million opening, well below the $5-$10 million that was predicted. Plus, it didn't manage to sway many critics (where it sits with a Rotten 54% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it wasn't exactly a hit with audiences, either, who awarded it a decidedly average "B" Cinemascore. If the reactions and numbers are any indication, Cry Macho is not long for this theatrical world and the results aren't going to be anywhere close to The Mule, which debuts to $17.5 million on its was to a $103.8 million total.
In fourth place, Candyman held on to its spot, dipping 26% and bringing in $3.52 million for a new $53.1 million. Hitting that $50 million mark is a big deal for the low-budget reimagining from director Nia DaCosta and certainly makes it one of the more successful horror films of the year.
Speaking of horror, after a disappointing opening, James Wan's Malignant took a hefty 50% second-week drop to round out the top five with $2.7 million. The film still stands below $10 million with just $9.8 million. It has done slightly better overseas with $14.8 million total, but its worldwide total is still just below the $25 million mark.
Falling outside the top five was the weekend's other new film, Copshop. The Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo, Toby Huss, Alexis Louder action film could only muster a $2.31 million opening and isn't likely to have any long-term impact on the box office.
In limited release, The Eyes of Tammy Faye starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield took the 10th-place spot with 652,358 from 450 theaters for a decent $1,449 per-theater average.
Also of note is Denis Villeneuve's Dune, which opened in several foreign markets ahead of its October US debut, bringing in $35.8 million out of 24 territories - a strong start and hot off the heels of its Venice Film Festival premiere.
Next week Shang-Chi should once again hold the top spot with the only challenger coming from Dear Evan Hansen that has had a rocky response thus far and is likely won't be able to top the MCU's latest hero.
Moving on the ratings bulletin we have two major films, the next MCU offering in Eternals and a star-studded crime/thriller/semi-autobiographical story House of Gucci.
Disney and the MCU have already been in good spirits lately as Shang-Chi has dominated the box office and (at this point) looks to be the biggest domestic film of 2021. But wait, there's more, hot off the heels of the first Asian-led film, we're going to get an Asian-directed film as Chloé Zhao (fresh off several accolades from Nomadland) gives us Eternals. This is going to prove to be the most diverse MCU film to date with Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Gemma Chan, Don Lee, Salma Hayek and Lauren Ridloff joining Kit Harrington, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan and Lia McHugh in what looks to be a slam-dunk cast. Also of note is that Henry will play the first openly-gay MCU hero while Ridloff with play the first deaf MCU hero - big steps for the long-running franchise. Now, the biggest hurdle to cross with such a massive cast is that you actually get some decent depth to each of them - and I'm not saying it's going to be easy. Eternals are essentially gods among men - immortal beings who have shaped the world. And I already know you're going to ask - why haven't these beings of immense power helped our Avengers against alien threats and, you know, Thanos and the whole snap thing? Well, it turns out even immortal beings have to answer to a higher power - and said higher power only wants our friends to step in when Earth is under a direct threat from the evil known as The Deviants. The reverse snap that brought half of the Earth's population apparently also awakened the Eternals - as well as the Deviants - and if the post-credits Shang-Chi teaser was an indication - big energy from those ten rings also may play a role in what's to come. In any case, many of our Eternals have found a life on Earth and despite their age, many still care for the people they know they will outlive. Chan has been described as the heart of the film with Madden playing her Eternal love interest while Harrington plays her current human partner. It's a lot to take in but with the overall success of the MCU I think this is in good hands and will probably knock yet another one out of the park come November. Rated PG-13 for fantasy violence and action, some language and brief sexuality.
If you like your stories more grounded in reality - gritty, ugly, back-stabbing reality - let Ridley Scott take you away to the House of Gucci. This one also features a star-studded cast that also includes Salma Hayek - with Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston and Camille Cottin among many others. The film takes much of its direction from The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden but the Gucci family themselves have distanced themselves from the production as they say the book contains many inaccuracies and have had limited contact with director Scott. In any case, the story takes place across several decades while the main focus is on Patrizia Reggiani (Gaga) who set up the murder of her ex-husband and Gucci head Maurizio Gucci (Driver). Maurizio also had a contentious relationship with his uncle, Aldo (Pacino) following the death of his father, Rodolpho (Irons) and the two fought for control of the company for several years. I don't know how much of this will come into play but I'm sure they didn't just cast these people for their pretty faces. This is positioned to be one of those award-season hopefuls so we'll see if Scott can pull off a compelling biography without going to over-the-top. Rated R for language, some sexual content, and brief nudity and violence.
Those are the two heavy hitters for this week, but you can check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL
Rated G
CURIOUS GEORGE: CAPE AHOY
Rated G
DON'T LOOK UP
Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content, graphic nudity and drug content.
ETERNALS
Rated PG-13 for fantasy violence and action, some language and brief sexuality.
FORTRESS
Rated R for violence and language.
HOUSE OF GUCCI
Rated R for language, some sexual content, and brief nudity and violence.
STAR WARS: THE VILLAGE BRIDE
Rated PG for some violence.
