Shang-Chi Shatters Labor Day Box Office Record with $83.5 Million Holiday Weekend Opening

Shang-Chi is a smash hit!

The history-making premiere of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is breaking box office records with an estimated global opening weekend of $139.7 million, Deadline reported Sunday.

The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has been lauded for its Asian representation, has become the highest-grossing Labor Day weekend opening with a four-day domestic haul of $83.5 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The crown was previously held by Rob Zombie's 2007 Halloween reboot, which earned $30.6 million during its opening.

Additionally, the blockbuster has the second-largest pandemic box office opening with a three-day total of $71.4 million. Narrowly beating out F9's $70 million June opening, Shang-Chi came in second behind fellow Marvel movie Black Widow's opening weekend in July, which grossed $80.3 million.

RELATED: Simu Liu Pens Heartfelt Letter on Shang-Chi Premiere Day: 'This Film Will Change the World'

Shang-Chi star Simu Liu penned a heartfelt letter about his film on Friday for opening day. "Thank you @disney for throwing the full weight of your platform behind this movie," he wrote in part.

"Many people did not understand that marketing during a pandemic presented unique challenges, or that we worked closely together throughout the entire process. Thank you Jarvis Kim for this most beautiful artwork. And thank you all for your support. Today, finally, we make history," he added.

Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The former accountant makes his breakout performance as the titular Shang-Chi, a skilled martial artist who has been trained as an assassin since childhood. After leaving the Ten Rings organization to pursue a normal life in San Francisco, he's forced to confront his past once again.

RELATED: How Shang-Chi's Simu Liu Went from Unemployed Accountant to Marvel's First Asian Superhero

Disney CEO Bob Chapek previously announced that Shang-Chi will be available exclusively in theaters during a 45-day window before it hits Disney+.

The blockbuster is making history as the first installment in the MCU with an Asian lead and a predominantly Asian cast. It's a welcome form of representation amid rising hate crimes against the AAPI community during the pandemic.

Liu previously spoke to PEOPLE about breaking barriers in the MCU and joining the Avengers. "I'm excited and I think for all of the good and the bad of what's to come, it's definitely a journey that I feel very privileged to be going on," he said in May.

RELATED: Shang-Chi Star Simu Liu Tells Disney CEO: 'We Are Not an Experiment'

"I know how much it would've meant to kids and to myself as a kid seeing this when I was younger. I totally understand the importance of it," Liu added. "I know that it's not going to be easy, but at the same time, I feel so incredibly excited to be a part of this movement that gets to push society forward... It gets to deepen the conversation, it gets to normalize seeing Asian faces on screen and hearing Asian voices and our stories."

See Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, now in theaters.