Shang-Chi will top Black Widow today as the highest-grossing film of the year domestically

Last Updated on September 27, 2021

It’s Marvel’s world and we’re just living in it. We previously looked at the fact that Marvel claims the two highest-grossing films of the year with Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings leading the pack but today the movies will be flipping positions. By the end of the day box office, Shang-Chi will top Black Widow as the highest-grossing movie of the year at the domestic box office.

Black Widow currently sits with a running total of $183.4 million as its box office run is drawing to a close. Before today’s results, Shang-Chi was just $200,000 behind Black Widow with a gross of $183.2 million. Shang-Chi has dominated the month of September and it’s looking to reign again for the fourth weekend in a row. The only competition Shang-Chi faces is the release of the feature adaptation of the musical Dear Evan Hansen, which is tracking in the $10 million range for its opening. Shang-Chi, based on previous weekend drops, is estimated to take in $11-12 million so it will be very close. Standing in the way of Dear Evan Hansen is the uncertainty of movie musicals at the box office (look at In The Heights) and the fact that Dear Evan Hansen is being ripped apart by critics as it currently sits with a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The next milestone for Shang-Chi will be $200 million stateside which would make it the first film of the pandemic to hit that mark. It’s estimated that Shang-Chi will have about $195.2 million in the bank by Sunday and that means $200 million would be in its sights the following week. I’m not sure anyone called this for Shang-Chi ahead of its release and I don’t think most expected the film to gross more than Black Widow. There are several factors that played into Shang-Chi’s success including great reviews, very strong word of mouth, a lack of competition, and, most importantly, it respected the theatrical window by not going day-and-date with a streaming release. Shang-Chi will arrive on Disney+ on November 12, 2021, which is a hefty gap between its theatrical run.

Fast 9 is the highest-grossing film of the year globally with a gross of $716.6 million but it’s the third highest-grossing movie of the year in the U.S. ($172.97 million). Around the globe, Fast 9 is followed by Godzilla vs. Kong ($467.86 million), Black Widow ($378.7 million), and Shang-Chi ($326 million). It will be interesting to see if Shang-Chi can unseat Black Widow in the global ranking as well.

What are YOUR thoughts on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year at the domestic box office?