The Godzilla-King Kong combo stomped on expectations as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire roared to an $80 million opening on 3,861 North American screens, according to Sunday studio estimates. The monster mashup from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures starring Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry brought the second-highest opening in what has been a robust year, falling just short of the $81.5 million debut of Dune: Part 2. Projections had put the opening weekend of Godzilla x Kong at closer to $50 million, the AP reports.
Last week's No. 1 at the box office, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, was second with $15.7 million for a two-week total of $73.4 million. The last matchup of the two monsters from Warner Bros. and Legendary, 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, had a much smaller opening weekend of $48.5 million, but that was a huge number for a film slowed by the coronavirus pandemic and released simultaneously on HBO Max. The newer film had the second-biggest opening of the studios' broader MonsterVerse franchise. Godzilla brought in $93.2 million in 2014.
Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, $80 million.
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, $15.7 million.
- Dune: Part Two, $11.1 million.
- Kung Fu Panda 4, $10.2. million.
- Immaculate, $3.3 million.
- Arthur the King, $2.4 million.
- Late Night With the Devil, $2.2 million.
- Tillu Square, $1.8 million.
- Crew, $1.5 million.
- Imaginary, $1.4 million.
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