“Godzilla and Kong” has a huge premiere in the United States

Photo: Disclosure / Pipoca Moderna

Warner Bros.’ new giant monster movie and Legendary, “Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire”, surprised with an opening of US$80 million in the United States and Canada, surpassing industry estimates, which expected a gross of between US$45 and US$55 million. With this, the production achieved the second best opening in the MonsterVerso, a notable feat for the fifth film in the franchise. To top it off, it also achieved the fifth biggest Easter opening of all time domestically.

Outside of North America, the film grossed US$114 million from 64 countries, standing out in China, where revenue was US$44 million. “Godzilla and Kong” also set a franchise record in Mexico with an opening of $12.8 million, and provided Warner’s biggest opening ever in India with $5.5 million. Adding it all up, the film made US$194 million in its worldwide release.

The public approved the release, giving it an A- grade on CinemaScore and 4.5 stars (out of a total of 5) on PostTrack, surveys carried out when leaving theaters in the United States. However, professional critics disagreed with this popularity, considering the production mediocre, with only 55% approval on average recorded by the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Other WB and Legendary hits

“Godzilla and Kong” aren’t the only reasons to celebrate for partners Warner Bros. and Legendary at the box office. “Dune: Part Two”, another production from the two studios, surpassed the US$600 million mark at the global box office over the weekend, expanding its advantage over the US$406 million achieved globally by the first “Dune”. But it’s worth remembering that the 2021 film was released simultaneously on streaming, due to the pandemic.

The “Dune” sequel ranked No. 3 in its fifth week of release, after losing most Imax screens and other premium theaters to “Godzilla and Kong.” In the domestic market, the sci-fi grossed US$11.1 million, totaling US$252.4 million. Abroad, there was another US$18.4 million from 73 countries, reaching US$373.7 million internationally and, in total, US$626.1 million worldwide.

The rest of the Top 5

Coming between monsters and sci-fi, “Ghostbusters: Ice Apocalypse”, which premiered last weekend, lost 65% of its initial revenue. Sony’s production came in 2nd place with US$15.7 million, totaling US$73.5 million domestically and US$108.5 million globally.

“Kung Fu Panda 4” registered 4th place in its fourth week with US$10.2 million. The animation from DreamWorks and Universal already totals US$ 151.7 million in the domestic market and US$ 347.3 million worldwide.

Finally, Neon’s independent production “Immaculada” completed the Top 5 with US$3.3 million in its second weekend. The horror starring Sydney Sweeney (“Euphoria”) earned US$11 million in its first ten days of release, to critical praise and a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The only new title in Brazil among the highest grossing films of the weekend in the United States, the film will only arrive in Brazilian cinemas on May 30th.