Godzilla vs. Kong: Epic Box Office Opening Rakes in $80 Million

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire thundered past box office predictions, earning a hefty $80 million in its opening weekend across 3,861 screens in North America, as reported by studio estimates on Sunday. This team-up of titans, a collaboration between Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures featuring stars Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry, secured the second-highest opening of the year, just trailing behind Dune: Part 2’s $81.5 million debut.

The film, which unites Godzilla and King Kong as allies rather than adversaries, initially had industry insiders forecasting a $50 million debut. Mary Parent, Legendary’s chairman of worldwide production, praised the film as a “cinematic event,” emphasizing the unique portrayal of these iconic characters and the film’s mythic storytelling approach.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, last week’s box office leader, slipped to second place with $15.7 million, bringing its two-week haul to $73.4 million. Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two remained strong in its fifth week, earning $11.1 million and reaching a domestic total of $252.4 million.

The previous face-off between Godzilla and King Kong, 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, opened to $48.5 million—a commendable figure considering the constraints of the pandemic and its simultaneous release on HBO Max.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire boasts the second-largest opening within the studios’ MonsterVerse franchise, following 2014’s Godzilla, which garnered $93.2 million at its debut. The franchise’s latest installment has evidently not suffered from oversaturation, as fans eagerly embraced the opportunity to experience the film in IMAX and other premium formats.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, the appeal of seeing these cinematic giants on the largest screens possible played a significant role in the film’s success. The strong performances of Godzilla x Kong, Dune Part Two, and Ghostbusters have contributed to closing the gap with 2023’s box office figures, igniting optimism for the summer’s slate of potential blockbusters.

As the film industry continues its recovery, the success of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and upcoming titles like The Fall Guy and sequels to Planet of the Apes and Deadpool offer a promising outlook, despite the challenge of surpassing the unprecedented success of last year’s “Barbenheimer” duo, Barbie and Oppenheimer.

The listed ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at theaters in the U.S. and Canada reflect the current box office standings, with final figures to be confirmed on Monday.