PITTSBURGH (Newsradio KDKA) - With the extended Labor Day weekend here, the traditional box office slow period might just get the shot in the arm that it needed. Candyman pulled in some unexpected strong numbers this week with a $22.3 million dollar opening weekend and Disney's Shang-Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings, the sole Marvel tent-pole film released in theaters only since the pandemic began. So grab your snacks and popcorn because this weekend is going to get interesting and the numbers should be big.
On the other hand, Top Gun: Maverick the long-awaited Tom Cruise follow-up to Top Gun has pushed its release date from September 30th to May 27, 2022. Hoping to avoid any covid-19 related box office lag. Maverick will be filling the slot previously held by Cruise's Mission Impossible 7 and pushing that film to September 30, 2022. Jackass Forever also jumped the 2021 ship and will now open February 4, 2022. It's likely many studio execs will have their eyes on Shang-Chi monitoring turnout and deciding their own release dates.
Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (PG-13)
Starring: Simu Liu and Awkwafina
Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is the 25th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Based on characters introduced in Marvel Comics as early as the mid 1970's and brought to life in the MCU as early as the very first film Iron Man (2008). Marvel-Disney's first Asian Lead super hero makes an impressive debut. The movie starts off following the humble valet/karaoke singer Shaun, quietly and happily underachieving his way through life until one afternoon he easily dismantles a band of thugs sent to steel his necklace. Once Shaun dismantles the bads, he must face is past and the villain that's plagued the world for years and his Ten Rings connection.
This Marvel installment was surprisingly fresh and enjoyable. The visuals are fantastic and the acting superb. The way that Marvel laid the ground work for the Ten Rings was truly amazing and this will be an awesome start to Marvels next generation of films.
John Mowod, Mowod On Movies, talks it up with Larry Richert and Kevin Battle of the KDKA Radio Morning Show. Tune into 100.1 FM or AM 1020 KDKA at 7:05 every Friday morning for more in-depth movie news, reviews and movie trivia.