'Shang-Chi' tops box office for 3rd straight weekend

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is the top film at the box office for the third straight weekend, but the muted reception for Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” suggests older moviegoers still aren’t as eager to return to theaters

NEW YORK -- “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is the top film at the box office for the third straight weekend, but the muted reception for Clint Eastwood's “Cry Macho” suggests older moviegoers still aren't as eager to return to theaters.

Marvel's “Chang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, collected an estimated $21.7 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Walt Disney Co. release has held better in theaters than most films during the pandemic. Its 37% drop in the third weekend is the best third-week hold for any Marvel movie ever.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Marvel's first Asian superhero movie, has earned an estimated $320.6 million worldwide. The only trouble for “Shang-Chi” thus far is a lack of a release date in China, which hasn't cleared the film for release in the country, the world's largest but highly censored film market.

While “Shang-Chi” is playing only in theaters, Warner Bros. released “Cry Macho” simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max — as the studio has all 2021 films. During the pandemic, younger moviegoers have been more likely to flock to theaters, and the audience for “Cry Macho” was 89% over the age of 35, Warner Bros. said. The film, which Eastwood directed and stars in as a former rodeo star hired to bring a young man home from Mexico, opened with an estimated $4.5 million.