On Friday, the Simu Liu-led superhero adventure brought in US$5.8 million from 4,070 cinemas. It won’t be long until Shang-Chi’s gross beats that of fellow Marvel film “Black Widow”, which has collected US$183 million so far.

Meanwhile, box office hit “Free Guy”, produced by 20th Century Studios and distributed by Disney, is expected to climb back to the No 2 spot in its sixth week of release. Despite new releases, “Free Guy” has held its own on the box office charts since its debut, hanging on to the No 1 spot for two weekends and staying in the top five ever since.

Starring Ryan Reynolds, the sci-fi comedy brought in US$1.3 million on Friday from 3,288 cinemas. “Free Guy” is estimated to add another US$4.9 million over the weekend, bringing its tally to US$108.3 million.

Warner Bros’ “Cry Macho”, Clint Eastwood’s newest film, is expected to debut in the third spot, taking in US$1.59 million from 3,967 cinemas on Friday. Over the weekend, the neo-Western drama, which also debuted simultaneously on HBO Max, should earn US$4.5 million at the box office.

Universal’s slasher film “Candyman” should come in at No 4 with an estimated three-day gross of US$3.47 million, taking its earnings to US$53 million in its fourth week.

James Wan’s latest horror film, “Malignant,” is poised to round out the top five this weekend. “Malignant”, the third act of which has shocked audiences, is also available to watch on HBO Max. It is set to earn US$2.5 million this weekend for an overall gross of US$9.6 million.