
Like a powerhouse king of monsters, the film “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” roared its way to the stratospheric heights of box office royalty for the second consecutive week. The Sunday studio estimates reported a collected bounty of $31.7 million, following the stellar $80 million that the film raked in on its debut weekend – an impressive sprint surpassing initial expectations.
This mighty clash of cinematic titans, a product of the creative studios of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures and the directorial prowess of Adam Wingard, has already outstripped the box office performance of the studio’s previous monster ventures – with one notable exception; 2014’s “Godzilla”.
A possible metaphorical torch-passing might, however, be on the horizon. With a worldwide pile of $361.1 million stacked up in just two weeks, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” could yet surpass the globe-spanning success of 2014’s “Godzilla,” which bagged a total global haul of $529 million. With the total production cost of the film being a relatively modest $135 million, these numbers represent a resounding triumph.
The reign of “Godzilla x Kong” at the box office was further extended as it towered over the weekend’s new contender – the primate-themed “Monkey Man,” an India-set revenge thriller released by Universal Pictures. Starring and directed by Dev Patel, it pulled in an estimated $10.1 million in 3,029 North American theaters – a strong opening hit for Patel’s directorial debut.
A change of hands proved beneficial for “Monkey Man”. Originally dropped by Netflix, Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions pulled off a theatrical coup by picking up this politically charged action bonanza, which carried a reported production budget of around $10 million.
As for the other cinematic newborn of the weekend, “The First Omen” from Disney’s 20th Century Studios found the path to box office glory much more challenging. Despite being shown in 3,375 theaters, it ended up fourth in the race, notching an estimated $8.4 million in ticket sales along with a further $9.1 million claimed overseas.
Despite a production budget of about $30 million, the R-rated horror film, a prequel to the 1976 original directed by Richard Donner and starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, couldn’t rival the success of its 2006 iteration, which launched with $16 million and ultimately grossed $119 million.
The lukewarm reception for “The First Omen”, further cleared the stage for Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” to clinch the third spot with $9 million, boosting its domestic tally to $88.8 million and its worldwide total to a commendable $138 million during its third weekend.
The pulse of “Dune: Part Two” from Warner Bros. remains strong as well, adding $7.2 million in its sixth week, bringing the film’s domestic total to an impressive $264 million.
Away from North American box office, colossal rumblings were heard from China, as Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning “The Boy and the Heron” opened. The adored Japanese anime seems destined to rewrite the record books for non-Chinese animated films, with its current five-day total soaring to an unprecedented $70 million – a crowning achievement for Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
Figures cited represent estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, courtesy of Comscore. As is customary, final domestic figures will be shared on Monday. On a global scorecard, the top box office churners rounded off the weekend as follows: “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” with $31.7 million, trailed by “Monkey Man,” with $10.1 million, and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” with $9 million.