Is the movie theater dying? If we look at the latest sci-fi fantasy blockbuster, the answer is no. In Germany, however, we won’t get to see the action-packed movie for a few more days
Who would have thought that the fifth installment of the MonsterVerse would be one of the cinema sensations of 2024? But Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has succeeded in doing just that. The bombastic mix of science fiction and fantasy, which features plenty of action, has opened with extremely impressive figures
Box office triumph for sci-fi fantasy bombast: Kong x Godzilla storms cinemas worldwide at Easter
According to the Hollywood Reporter, initial forecasts predicted that the film would earn between 45 and 55 million US dollars on its opening weekend in the USA. By current cinema standards, these were already optimistic figures. However, the monster brawl now stands at an impressive 80 million US dollars.
This makes Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire the most successful start for a MonsterVerse film in the USA since the first installment. Godzilla made 93 million US dollars in 2014 (via Box Office Mojo ). The franchise has been far removed from these figures in recent years. Godzilla x Kong also scores as the fifth-best Easter release
In addition to the USA, the film has been released internationally in 64 other markets, bringing its total box office takings to 194 million US dollars. Godzilla x Kong marks one of the biggest blockbuster successes of 2024 to date, especially as the budget of 135 million US dollars (via Deadline ) was relatively lean.
Read more: Godzilla x Kong almost surpasses Dune 2 at the start
One of the most interesting figures comes from China. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Godzilla x Kong grossed an impressive 44 million US dollars there, something that hardly any US blockbusters manage these days. By comparison, Dune: Part Two has only made 46.5 million US dollars in China in its entire run to date.
The exciting question is whether Godzilla x Kong can maintain this box office level or whether it will collapse in its second week. That’s the key to big blockbuster success these days: a stable run over several weeks/months. Godzilla x Kong has another advantage: it hasn’t even opened in some movie markets yet.
The figures are definitely a good sign for the MonsterVerse. After five films and two spin-off series, the franchise has a total box office takings of over 2.1 billion US dollars a decade after its launch (via The Numbers ) and there is no sign of any waning interest on the part of audiences
