'Shang-Chi' Runs Rings Around Box Office Competition

"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, played by Hong Kong actor 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 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. (AFP)