NEWS: IMAX Breaks Global Box Office Record With Release of Marvel's 'Shang-Chi'

How we watch movies has changed a lot over the past year due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Jungle Cruise Billboard

Due to the closure of various theaters and the hesitancy that some viewers feel towards heading back to the theaters, Disney has opted to take a hybrid approach to movie releases. We saw this recently with popular releases like Cruella, Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise, but Marvel’s latest movie took a different approach, and it seems to be suggesting that exclusive theater releases could see success once again.

Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings debuted in theaters on September 3rd with an exclusive 45-day window before it arrives on Disney+ for all subscribers. And, the movie has already broken records in the box office and is now contributing to even more.

©Marvel

According to PR Newswire, IMAX set a new record for “best global September and Labor Day weekend opening” ever at the global box office over the holiday weekend. And, they’re crediting Shang-Chi and Disney’s other recent exclusive-theater release, Free Guy as major contributors to the success.

In just North America, Shang-Chi pulled in $8.5 million in the box office, which also sets a new record for “best domestic September and Labor Day Weekend opening” for IMAX. And, globally, IMAX earned an overall $16.8 million over the long weekend ($5.1 million of which came from Shang-Chi‘s global release).

©Marvel

Walt Disney Company CEO, Bob Chapek, had previously stated that they were using Shang-Chi‘s 45-day theatrical release as an “experiment” to help them determine how they will approach movie releases in the future. And, with The Eternals slated to be the next Marvel release to hit the theaters this year, we’ll be keeping an eye out for updates.

So, be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for more of the latest Disney news and updates!