Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings punched through a box office record with its massive $71.4 million domestic opening weekend.

This news comes by way of Variety, which reports that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film had the second-best pandemic-era domestic opening weekend. Its $71.4 million box office bow comes in just behind Black Widow's $80.3 million opening weekend debut and just above F9's $70 million opening haul.

Shang-Chi also broke a record held by 2007's Halloween for over a decade, according to Variety. Halloween previously held the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend, raking in $30.6 million. The long Labor Day weekend, which has notoriously been a slower weekend at the box office, was no match for Shang-Chi, however, as the movie more than doubled Halloween's box office haul.

Its $71.4 million Labor Day opening weekend now holds the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend ever at the box office. The movie pulled in an additional $56.2 million internationally, too, bringing the global box office total to $127.6 million.

Shang-Chi was released exclusively in theaters, unlike Black Widow, a movie released day-and-date on Disney Plus (which Scarlett Johansson is now suing Disney over). As Variety notes, many speculated that Black Widow's Disney Plus release might have caused box office numbers to be lower than what they would have been had the movie been released exclusively in theaters.

However, Shang-Chi seems to have performed about as well as Black Widow in theaters, although it's important to note that Shang-Chi is a new MCU character while Black Widow featured Johansson's Natasha Romanoff that has been in the MCU for well over a decade. Marvel's Shang-Chi theatrical debut performing about as well as Black Widow's theater release is quite impressive.

According to Variety, Shang-Chi's strong reception could affect future MCU movie debuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney and Marvel have reportedly not made a decision regarding how The Eternals will debut, be it an exclusive release in theaters or a day-and-date release on Disney Plus like Black Widow.

Elsewhere, R-rated horror slasher, Candyman, dropped to second place at the box office behind Shang-Chi, pulling in another $10.5 million. It's on pace to bring its overall box office haul to $41.9 million after this three-day weekend, Variety writes.

Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy dipped to third and is estimated to bring in roughly $11 million this weekend, which would bring its grand total at the box office to $91.8 million. Paramount's Paw Patrol animated feature came in fourth and is estimated to bring in $5.2 million by the end of the long weekend. That would bring its grand total to $31.5 million.

Finally, Disney's Jungle Cruise finished in fifth. It's estimated to bring in $5.2 million over the entire holiday weekend, which would bring its grand total to $106.8 million. The movie's box office success earned it a greenlight from Disney for a sequel.

Check out our thoughts on Shang-Chi in IGN's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings review and then read IGN's breakdown of who Shang-Chi is in the MCU. Check out our breakdown of what the ten rings are and whether or not they are actually magical after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings punched through a box office record with its massive $71.4 million domestic opening weekend.

This news comes by way of Variety, which reports that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film had the second-best pandemic-era domestic opening weekend. Its $71.4 million box office bow comes in just behind Black Widow's $80.3 million opening weekend debut and just above F9's $70 million opening haul.

Shang-Chi also broke a record held by 2007's Halloween for over a decade, according to Variety. Halloween previously held the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend, raking in $30.6 million. The long Labor Day weekend, which has notoriously been a slower weekend at the box office, was no match for Shang-Chi, however, as the movie more than doubled Halloween's box office haul.

Its $71.4 million Labor Day opening weekend now holds the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend ever at the box office. The movie pulled in an additional $56.2 million internationally, too, bringing the global box office total to $127.6 million.

Shang-Chi was released exclusively in theaters, unlike Black Widow, a movie released day-and-date on Disney Plus (which Scarlett Johansson is now suing Disney over). As Variety notes, many speculated that Black Widow's Disney Plus release might have caused box office numbers to be lower than what they would have been had the movie been released exclusively in theaters.

However, Shang-Chi seems to have performed about as well as Black Widow in theaters, although it's important to note that Shang-Chi is a new MCU character while Black Widow featured Johansson's Natasha Romanoff that has been in the MCU for well over a decade. Marvel's Shang-Chi theatrical debut performing about as well as Black Widow's theater release is quite impressive.

According to Variety, Shang-Chi's strong reception could affect future MCU movie debuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney and Marvel have reportedly not made a decision regarding how The Eternals will debut, be it an exclusive release in theaters or a day-and-date release on Disney Plus like Black Widow.

Elsewhere, R-rated horror slasher, Candyman, dropped to second place at the box office behind Shang-Chi, pulling in another $10.5 million. It's on pace to bring its overall box office haul to $41.9 million after this three-day weekend, Variety writes.

Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy dipped to third and is estimated to bring in roughly $11 million this weekend, which would bring its grand total at the box office to $91.8 million. Paramount's Paw Patrol animated feature came in fourth and is estimated to bring in $5.2 million by the end of the long weekend. That would bring its grand total to $31.5 million.

Finally, Disney's Jungle Cruise finished in fifth. It's estimated to bring in $5.2 million over the entire holiday weekend, which would bring its grand total to $106.8 million. The movie's box office success earned it a greenlight from Disney for a sequel.

Check out our thoughts on Shang-Chi in IGN's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings review and then read IGN's breakdown of who Shang-Chi is in the MCU. Check out our breakdown of what the ten rings are and whether or not they are actually magical after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

The Russo Brothers might not direct another Marvel movie due to the ongoing Black Widow lawsuit between Disney and Scarlett Johansson.

This news comes by way of a new report from The Wall Street Journal that details the effects of Disney and Johansson's public fallout over the release of Black Widow, as reported by Screenrant.

Due to the lawsuit and how Black Widow was released (and how Johansson was paid as a result), the Russo Brothers and Disney have reportedly "hit an impasse" in negotiations for their Marvel Cinematic Universe return.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Black Widow lawsuit has the directing duo questioning how a new MCU movie from them would be released and how they would be paid for it. No details were revealed about what their MCU return would have been, but the brothers have been quite open in their interest to do a Secret Wars movie.

Who knows if that was the movie the two were in negotiations to direct, but it seems that even if they were, such an MCU return is now off the table.

After the release of Black Widow, Johansson's legal team announced that it was suing Disney over a contract breach for the actress after her solo MCU movie was released day and date on Disney Plus. Johansson's contract reportedly assured her that the movie would be released exclusively in theaters.

The Black Widow actress was reportedly contracted to get paid based on the movie's box office numbers. Theoretically, the box office numbers weren't as high as they could have been due to Black Widow also releasing day-and-date on Disney Plus as a Premiere Access title.

Sources familiar with the lawsuit say the move to streaming cost Johansson more than $50 million.

Since Johansson's legal team announced that it was suing Disney, the fallout between the actress and the MCU's parent company has played out publicly, with Disney stating that it believes Johansson's lawsuit has "no merit whatsoever."

In fact, the public nature of this fallout has reportedly left MCU head Kevin Feige upset and embarrassed over how Disney is treating the beloved MCU actress.

For more, catch up on the Black Widow lawsuit and all of the movement on it since, and then read IGN's breakdown of what it could mean for Hollywood going forward. Check out our thoughts on Johansson's final MCU movie in IGN's Black Widow review after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

The Russo Brothers might not direct another Marvel movie due to the ongoing Black Widow lawsuit between Disney and Scarlett Johansson.

This news comes by way of a new report from The Wall Street Journal that details the effects of Disney and Johansson's public fallout over the release of Black Widow, as reported by Screenrant.

Due to the lawsuit and how Black Widow was released (and how Johansson was paid as a result), the Russo Brothers and Disney have reportedly "hit an impasse" in negotiations for their Marvel Cinematic Universe return.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Black Widow lawsuit has the directing duo questioning how a new MCU movie from them would be released and how they would be paid for it. No details were revealed about what their MCU return would have been, but the brothers have been quite open in their interest to do a Secret Wars movie.

Who knows if that was the movie the two were in negotiations to direct, but it seems that even if they were, such an MCU return is now off the table.

After the release of Black Widow, Johansson's legal team announced that it was suing Disney over a contract breach for the actress after her solo MCU movie was released day and date on Disney Plus. Johansson's contract reportedly assured her that the movie would be released exclusively in theaters.

The Black Widow actress was reportedly contracted to get paid based on the movie's box office numbers. Theoretically, the box office numbers weren't as high as they could have been due to Black Widow also releasing day-and-date on Disney Plus as a Premiere Access title.

Sources familiar with the lawsuit say the move to streaming cost Johansson more than $50 million.

Since Johansson's legal team announced that it was suing Disney, the fallout between the actress and the MCU's parent company has played out publicly, with Disney stating that it believes Johansson's lawsuit has "no merit whatsoever."

In fact, the public nature of this fallout has reportedly left MCU head Kevin Feige upset and embarrassed over how Disney is treating the beloved MCU actress.

For more, catch up on the Black Widow lawsuit and all of the movement on it since, and then read IGN's breakdown of what it could mean for Hollywood going forward. Check out our thoughts on Johansson's final MCU movie in IGN's Black Widow review after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Halo Infinite will bring back the old motion tracker-style radar seen in Halo games before Halo 5 in light of feedback following the game's recent technical preview.

This news comes by way of a recent Halo Waypoint blog posted by 343 Industries breaking down all of the feedback the studio received during and following its recent technical preview, as reported by PC Gamer.

According to 343, most players missed the old properties of Halo radars, which differ from the game's current Combat Sensor that only displays enemy locations when they're sprinting or shooting a weapon.

"The Combat Sensor, or radar, that sits in the bottom left of your HUD follows a different set of rules than previous Halo titles," the blog post reads. "We knew this implementation was going to feel different, maybe even a little contentious, and that's why we wanted to get feedback on it as soon as possible in the Tech Preview."

343 continues in the blog post and says that some players appreciated the new radar approach, but that it found most players missed the old style of radar.

"We've updated the Combat Sensor to feel more like the 'Motion Tracker' of old, which shows all movement besides crouch-walking, and should have that ready for folks to test in the next flight," the blog reads. "Be sure to keep an eye on it and let us know how it plays."

The radar section of the blog post is only one small snippet of the lengthy post-technical preview brief. It touches on multiple other facets of Halo Infinite's multiplayer, citing what people liked about it and what constructive feedback 343 Industries received.

For example, players want the Needler weapon's audio to sound more "crystalized" and they want more granular control of each in-game voice such as the Personal AI, Spartan Chatter, and even the multiplayer announcer.

343 Industries also received feedback regarding its bots. Players felt that in the technical preview, bots were too accurate when shooting weapons and throwing grenades, for example, and the jump from ODST bots to Spartan bots wasn't great enough.

For more details about this feedback and a detailed breakdown of said feedback, head to 343 Industries' Halo Waypoint blog post. Read about why Halo Infinite fans are worried about 343's approach to multiplayer progression after that and then check out why 343 didn't show Halo Infinite's campaign during its recent Gamescom 2021 appearance.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Halo Infinite will bring back the old motion tracker-style radar seen in Halo games before Halo 5 in light of feedback following the game's recent technical preview.

This news comes by way of a recent Halo Waypoint blog posted by 343 Industries breaking down all of the feedback the studio received during and following its recent technical preview, as reported by PC Gamer.

According to 343, most players missed the old properties of Halo radars, which differ from the game's current Combat Sensor that only displays enemy locations when they're sprinting or shooting a weapon.

"The Combat Sensor, or radar, that sits in the bottom left of your HUD follows a different set of rules than previous Halo titles," the blog post reads. "We knew this implementation was going to feel different, maybe even a little contentious, and that's why we wanted to get feedback on it as soon as possible in the Tech Preview."

343 continues in the blog post and says that some players appreciated the new radar approach, but that it found most players missed the old style of radar.

"We've updated the Combat Sensor to feel more like the 'Motion Tracker' of old, which shows all movement besides crouch-walking, and should have that ready for folks to test in the next flight," the blog reads. "Be sure to keep an eye on it and let us know how it plays."

The radar section of the blog post is only one small snippet of the lengthy post-technical preview brief. It touches on multiple other facets of Halo Infinite's multiplayer, citing what people liked about it and what constructive feedback 343 Industries received.

For example, players want the Needler weapon's audio to sound more "crystalized" and they want more granular control of each in-game voice such as the Personal AI, Spartan Chatter, and even the multiplayer announcer.

343 Industries also received feedback regarding its bots. Players felt that in the technical preview, bots were too accurate when shooting weapons and throwing grenades, for example, and the jump from ODST bots to Spartan bots wasn't great enough.

For more details about this feedback and a detailed breakdown of said feedback, head to 343 Industries' Halo Waypoint blog post. Read about why Halo Infinite fans are worried about 343's approach to multiplayer progression after that and then check out why 343 didn't show Halo Infinite's campaign during its recent Gamescom 2021 appearance.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Former PlayStation boss, Shawn Layden, has finally revealed why he left the company, almost two years after his departure.

PlayStation abruptly announced on September 30, 2019, that Layden had left the company after 32 years with Sony. The company didn't reveal why Layden had departed — PlayStation simply said he was leaving and that he'll be greatly missed — and Layden himself has remained quiet on the subject.

Now, almost two years after his departure, Layden has revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that he left PlayStation to avoid burnout and to put a good pin in his legacy at the company.

"It's a young person's activity," Layden said. "I felt: This is a good time to put the pin in my legacy."

Layden explained that in the years leading up to his departure, he had helped the company release some of the highest-rated games of the entire PS4 generation — he noted Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War to Bloomberg. He said that leaving PlayStation when he did, which happened to be the year before the start of the PlayStation 5 generation, came down to good timing.

"That seemed like a good time to step off on top and allow another generation to take the PlayStation 5 to market,” Layden said.

Bloomberg asked Layden if his departure had anything to do with current PlayStation boss, Jim Ryan, in light of rumors that the two didn't gel. The publication writes that Layden "wouldn't get into specifics there," but that Layden simply answered, "I think I took my time at the moment I saw best to take it [and] I couldn't be happier."

Elsewhere in Bloomberg's interview, the publication touches on an hour-long conversation between Layden, who now serves on the advisory board at Streamline Media Group, and Streamline CEO Alexander Fernandez. In that conversation, Layden explained his concern with the rising costs of AAA game development.

Layden said game development costs seem to double with each generation, citing that the PlayStation 4 titles he helped get out the door each cost at least $100 million.

"If we can't stop the cost curve from going up, all we can do is try to de-risk it," Layden said. "That puts you in a place where you're incentivized toward sequels." He then went on to predict that PS5 games will end up costing $200 million to make and that prices will only go up from there.

For more about PlayStation, read what PlayStation had to say when Layden left the company and then read about how the current chip shortage affecting the production of PlayStation 5s "will remain very tight" until at least next September. Check out this story about PlayStation's upcoming 40-minute "future of PS5" showcase after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Former PlayStation boss, Shawn Layden, has finally revealed why he left the company, almost two years after his departure.

PlayStation abruptly announced on September 30, 2019, that Layden had left the company after 32 years with Sony. The company didn't reveal why Layden had departed — PlayStation simply said he was leaving and that he'll be greatly missed — and Layden himself has remained quiet on the subject.

Now, almost two years after his departure, Layden has revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that he left PlayStation to avoid burnout and to put a good pin in his legacy at the company.

"It's a young person's activity," Layden said. "I felt: This is a good time to put the pin in my legacy."

Layden explained that in the years leading up to his departure, he had helped the company release some of the highest-rated games of the entire PS4 generation — he noted Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War to Bloomberg. He said that leaving PlayStation when he did, which happened to be the year before the start of the PlayStation 5 generation, came down to good timing.

"That seemed like a good time to step off on top and allow another generation to take the PlayStation 5 to market,” Layden said.

Bloomberg asked Layden if his departure had anything to do with current PlayStation boss, Jim Ryan, in light of rumors that the two didn't gel. The publication writes that Layden "wouldn't get into specifics there," but that Layden simply answered, "I think I took my time at the moment I saw best to take it [and] I couldn't be happier."

Elsewhere in Bloomberg's interview, the publication touches on an hour-long conversation between Layden, who now serves on the advisory board at Streamline Media Group, and Streamline CEO Alexander Fernandez. In that conversation, Layden explained his concern with the rising costs of AAA game development.

Layden said game development costs seem to double with each generation, citing that the PlayStation 4 titles he helped get out the door each cost at least $100 million.

"If we can't stop the cost curve from going up, all we can do is try to de-risk it," Layden said. "That puts you in a place where you're incentivized toward sequels." He then went on to predict that PS5 games will end up costing $200 million to make and that prices will only go up from there.

For more about PlayStation, read what PlayStation had to say when Layden left the company and then read about how the current chip shortage affecting the production of PlayStation 5s "will remain very tight" until at least next September. Check out this story about PlayStation's upcoming 40-minute "future of PS5" showcase after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Wonder Woman 1984 director, Patty Jenkins, says films released by streaming services look like "fake movies."

This news comes by way of the LA Times, which reports that during a panel discussion hosted by the publication, Jenkins explained that all of the films streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max put out look fake. She said that releasing movies on streaming services isn't a working model.

"All of the films that streaming services are putting out, I'm sorry, they look like fake movies to me," Jenkins said. "I don't hear about them. I don't read about them. It's not working as a model for establishing legendary greatness."

Jenkins said this in response to Paramount Pictures’ domestic distribution president, Chris Aronson, who said that once a movie is released on TV, no matter what it was originally made for, "it's a TV film."

The Wonder Woman 1984 director then explained that she feels Netflix and other streaming services do have a place in the entertainment media industry — the making of movies just isn't that place.

"I also have a deal to make things for Netflix, because I really believe in limited series and television series," Jenkins said. "As a filmmaker, there are stories I want to tell...that are longer and don't fit into the movie format. Streaming is great for massive amounts of content and bingeing TV shows."

She goes on to say that making movies and making longer-form content such as TV shows and limited series are "two very different skill sets." She said she sees them succeeding as two very different things — not as formats that intermingle with each other.

"That's why I think it's a mistake for the film industry to throw away something so valuable," Jenkins said. "I think we have to be very clear about the absolute necessity for [theatrical releases]. I've talked to many filmmakers about all of us uniting, and if someone does guarantee a theatrical run, we will literally go out of our way and take less fee, all kinds of things, to guarantee that your film has a chance of success in this certain kind of way."

IGN recently reported that Jenkins felt the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max was "heartbreaking" and "detrimental," but ultimately the "best choice." WarnerMedia reported that "nearly half" of its HBO Max subscriber base watched Wonder Woman 1984, though, and Warner Bros. already greenlit a third Wonder Woman movie, so the streaming release might not have been as detrimental as Jenkins believes it to be.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Wonder Woman 1984 director, Patty Jenkins, says films released by streaming services look like "fake movies."

This news comes by way of the LA Times, which reports that during a panel discussion hosted by the publication, Jenkins explained that all of the films streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max put out look fake. She said that releasing movies on streaming services isn't a working model.

"All of the films that streaming services are putting out, I'm sorry, they look like fake movies to me," Jenkins said. "I don't hear about them. I don't read about them. It's not working as a model for establishing legendary greatness."

Jenkins said this in response to Paramount Pictures’ domestic distribution president, Chris Aronson, who said that once a movie is released on TV, no matter what it was originally made for, "it's a TV film."

The Wonder Woman 1984 director then explained that she feels Netflix and other streaming services do have a place in the entertainment media industry — the making of movies just isn't that place.

"I also have a deal to make things for Netflix, because I really believe in limited series and television series," Jenkins said. "As a filmmaker, there are stories I want to tell...that are longer and don't fit into the movie format. Streaming is great for massive amounts of content and bingeing TV shows."

She goes on to say that making movies and making longer-form content such as TV shows and limited series are "two very different skill sets." She said she sees them succeeding as two very different things — not as formats that intermingle with each other.

"That's why I think it's a mistake for the film industry to throw away something so valuable," Jenkins said. "I think we have to be very clear about the absolute necessity for [theatrical releases]. I've talked to many filmmakers about all of us uniting, and if someone does guarantee a theatrical run, we will literally go out of our way and take less fee, all kinds of things, to guarantee that your film has a chance of success in this certain kind of way."

IGN recently reported that Jenkins felt the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max was "heartbreaking" and "detrimental," but ultimately the "best choice." WarnerMedia reported that "nearly half" of its HBO Max subscriber base watched Wonder Woman 1984, though, and Warner Bros. already greenlit a third Wonder Woman movie, so the streaming release might not have been as detrimental as Jenkins believes it to be.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.