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Action box office · September 2021

Action Box Office, September 2021: Top-Grossing Releases

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) is the highest-grossing action movie released in September 2021, with $432.2M worldwide, ahead of Malignant (2021) at $34.9M and The Stronghold (2021) at $18.1M. 18 action films released in September 2021 report a worldwide gross, $496.6M in all, 49% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is down 29% on August 2021, whose releases took $701.1M. By language, English leads with $474.5M across 9 action releases.

September 2021 releases with a gross
18
combined worldwide
$496.6M
film crossed $100M
1
vs August 2021
−29%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Action Hits of September 2021?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) leads with $432.2M, 87% of the total. The top 5 together took $494.2M, almost all of what the 18 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) movie poster Number 1
    $432.2M Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
    $224.5M US & Canada · 52% $207.7M elsewhere · 48%
  2. Malignant (2021) movie poster Number 2
    $34.9M Malignant (2021)
    $13.4M US & Canada · 38% $21.5M elsewhere · 62%
  3. The Stronghold (2021) movie poster Number 3
    $18.1M The Stronghold (2021)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Copshop (2021) movie poster Number 4
    $6.8M Copshop (2021)
    $5.2M US & Canada · 77% $1.6M elsewhere · 23%
  5. Small World (2021) movie poster Number 5
    $2.2M Small World (2021)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Action Release of September 2021, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in September 2021.

  1. 1 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) movie poster
    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) Sep 3, 2021 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $432.2M worldwide
    Sep 3, 2021 US and Canada: $224.5M Rest of the world: $207.7M Worldwide: $432.2M
  2. 2 Malignant (2021) movie poster
    Malignant (2021) Sep 10, 2021 · English · Action, Drama, Mystery $34.9M worldwide
    Sep 10, 2021 US and Canada: $13.4M Rest of the world: $21.5M Worldwide: $34.9M
  3. 3 The Stronghold (2021) movie poster
    The Stronghold (2021) Sep 17, 2021 · French · Action, Thriller, Crime $18.1M worldwide
    Sep 17, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $18.1M
  4. 4 Copshop (2021) movie poster
    Copshop (2021) Sep 17, 2021 · English · Action, Thriller, Crime $6.8M worldwide
    Sep 17, 2021 US and Canada: $5.2M Rest of the world: $1.6M Worldwide: $6.8M
  5. 5 Small World (2021) movie poster
    Small World (2021) Sep 10, 2021 · Polish · Drama, Action, Crime $2.2M worldwide
    Sep 10, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.2M
  6. 6 Seetimaarr (2021) movie poster
    Seetimaarr (2021) Sep 10, 2021 · Telugu · Action, Drama $1.5M worldwide
    Sep 10, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.5M
  7. 7 Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021) movie poster
    Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021) Sep 3, 2021 · English · Crime, Drama, Action $390.9K worldwide
    Sep 3, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $390.9K
  8. 8 No Looking Back (2021) movie poster
    No Looking Back (2021) Sep 19, 2021 · Russian · Comedy, Thriller, Action $151.7K worldwide
    Sep 19, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $151.7K
  9. 9 Restart the Earth (2021) movie poster
    Restart the Earth (2021) Sep 3, 2021 · Chinese · Sci-Fi, Action, Horror $114.1K worldwide
    Sep 3, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $114.1K
  10. 10 C.I.Ape (2021) movie poster
    C.I.Ape (2021) Sep 20, 2021 · English · Comedy, Sci-Fi, Action $90.3K worldwide
    Sep 20, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $90.3K
  11. 11 Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021) movie poster
    Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021) Sep 17, 2021 · English · Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller $80.4K worldwide
    Sep 17, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $80.4K
  12. 12 Laabam (2021) movie poster
    Laabam (2021) Sep 9, 2021 · Tamil · Action, Drama $31.6K worldwide
    Sep 9, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $31.6K
  13. 13 Kodiyil Oruvan (2021) movie poster
    Kodiyil Oruvan (2021) Sep 17, 2021 · Tamil · Drama, Action $22.8K worldwide
    Sep 17, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $22.8K
  14. 14 Monsters of War (2021) movie poster
    Monsters of War (2021) Sep 13, 2021 · English · Drama, Action, Horror $6.9K worldwide
    Sep 13, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $6.9K
  15. 15 East of the Mountains (2021) movie poster
    East of the Mountains (2021) Sep 24, 2021 · English · Action, Drama $1.9K worldwide
    Sep 24, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.9K
  16. 16 The Manson Brothers: Midnight Zombie Massacre (2021) movie poster
    The Manson Brothers: Midnight Zombie Massacre (2021) Sep 10, 2021 · English · Action, Horror, Comedy $495 worldwide
    Sep 10, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $495
  17. 17 Gully Rowdy (2021) movie poster
    Gully Rowdy (2021) Sep 17, 2021 · Telugu · Action, Comedy $424 worldwide
    Sep 17, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $424
  18. 18 Ip Man: The Awakening (2021) movie poster
    Ip Man: The Awakening (2021) Sep 16, 2021 · Chinese · History, Drama, Adventure $193 worldwide
    Sep 16, 2021 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $193
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in September 2021?

Of the top 10, Copshop (2021) earned the biggest share at home (77% in the US & Canada), while Malignant (2021) made 62% of its gross abroad. Across all 18 films, $243.1M (49%) came from the US & Canada. 7 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) $432.2M
    $224.5M US & Canada · 52% $207.7M elsewhere · 48%
  2. 2 Malignant (2021) $34.9M
    $13.4M US & Canada · 38% $21.5M elsewhere · 62%
  3. 3 The Stronghold (2021) $18.1M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. 4 Copshop (2021) $6.8M
    $5.2M US & Canada · 77% $1.6M elsewhere · 23%
  5. 5 Small World (2021) $2.2M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  6. 6 Seetimaarr (2021) $1.5M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  7. 7 Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021) $390.9K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  8. 8 No Looking Back (2021) $151.7K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  9. 9 Restart the Earth (2021) $114.1K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  10. 10 C.I.Ape (2021) $90.3K
    No US & Canada figure reported
Gross bands

How Many September 2021 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

1 of 18 films crossed $100M and took $432.2M between them, 87% of the total. 15 films, 83% of the list, earned under $10M.

  • $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $100M to $500M 1 film, 6% of the list $432.2M · 87% of the gross
  • $10M to $100M 2 films, 11% of the list $53M · 11% of the gross
  • Under $10M 15 films, 83% of the list $11.4M · 2% of the gross
By release week

Which Week of September 2021 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 36 (Aug 29–Sep 4) took $432.7M, led by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 36 Wk 36 Aug 29–Sep 4 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) $432.7M Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
  2. Week 37 Wk 37 Sep 5–11 Malignant (2021) $38.6M Malignant (2021)
  3. Week 38 Wk 38 Sep 12–18 The Stronghold (2021) $25M The Stronghold (2021)
  4. Week 39 Wk 39 Sep 19–25 No Looking Back (2021) $243.8K No Looking Back (2021)
  5. Week 40 Wk 40 Sep 26–Oct 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does September 2021 Compare With September in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, September 2015 earned the most: $818.8M from 19 films, led by Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015). September 2021 took $496.6M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
September 2012 14 films 14 $571.2M – Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) $240.2M
September 2013 17 films · −41% 17 $338.9M −41% Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) $98.8M
September 2014 15 films · +101% 15 $680.6M +101% The Maze Runner (2014) $348.3M
September 2015 19 films · +20% 19 $818.8M +20% Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) $312.3M
September 2016 24 films · −2% 24 $804.3M −2% Operation Mekong (2016) $173.8M
September 2017 28 films · ±0% 28 $807.3M ±0% Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) $410.9M
September 2018 26 films · −31% 26 $560.1M −31% Project Gutenberg (2018) $188.1M
September 2019 14 films · −52% 14 $266.6M −52% The Climbers (2019) $156.9M
September 2020 11 films · +69% 11 $450.4M +69% Tenet (2020) $365.3M
September 2021 18 films · +10% 18 $496.6M +10% Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) $432.2M
By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Action Movies Speak in September 2021?

English-language action films took $474.5M across 9 films, 96% of the total, ahead of French-language action films ($18.1M) and Polish-language action films ($2.2M).

September 2021 Action Box Office by Language

  1. English $474.5M
    9 films · #1 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
  2. French $18.1M
    1 film · #1 The Stronghold (2021)
  3. Polish $2.2M
    1 film · #1 Small World (2021)
  4. Telugu $1.5M
    2 films · #1 Seetimaarr (2021)
  5. Russian $151.7K
    1 film · #1 No Looking Back (2021)
  6. Chinese $114.3K
    2 films · #1 Restart the Earth (2021)
  7. Tamil $54.4K
    2 films · #1 Laabam (2021)
Archive

Action Box Office in 2021, Month by Month

The months of 2021 with their totals: December leads with $2.3B, led by Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

FAQ

Action Box Office September 2021: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 18 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing action movie in September 2021?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) leads with $432.2M worldwide, $224.5M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Malignant (2021) at $34.9M and The Stronghold (2021) at $18.1M.

How much did action movies released in September 2021 earn?

18 action films released in September 2021 report a worldwide gross, $496.6M in all, or $27.6M per film on average. August 2021 releases took $701.1M.

How many action movies released in September 2021 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) with $432.2M.

How much of the September 2021 Action box office came from the US and Canada?

$243.1M of the $496.6M total, or 49%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 15 films of the 18 report no domestic figure.

How is the September 2021 action box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in September 2021. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the September 2021 action box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.