Shang-Chi dominates US box office for 3rd straight week

Los Angeles

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Disney blockbuster featuring Marvel's first leading Asian superhero, dominated the North American box office for a third straight week, taking in US$21.7 million, figures showed on Sunday.

The film - starring Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu as a former assassin in the shadow of an evil father (Hong Kong legend Tony Leung) - has so far earned US$176.9 million in US and Canadian theatres, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

Sci-fi comedy Free Guy, from 20th Century, held steady in second spot with US$5.2 million. It stars Ryan Reynolds as an everyman bank teller who discovers he's actually a non-player character in a huge video game.

Third place went to new entrant Cry Macho, the latest gritty drama by the legendary Clint Eastwood, who directs and stars as a retired rodeo rider helping a teenager and his fighting rooster leave Mexico. The Warner Brothers film earned US$4.5 million.

In fourth place, for a second week running, was Universal's slasher film Candyman, a reimagining of the classic 1992 film of the same name. It took in US$3.5 million this weekend, and so far has topped US$53 million overall in North America.

Another horror movie, Malignant, came in fifth with nearly US$2.7 million, while comedy/action new entry Copshop opened in sixth spot, with US$2.3 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were: Jungle Cruise (US$2.1 million, for a total of US$112.6 million); Paw Patrol: The Movie (US$1.7 million); Don't Breathe 2 (US$1.2 million); and The Eyes of Tammy Faye (US$675,000). AFP