This weekend belonged to the Monsterverse as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire exceeded expectations with a colossal debut.
King Of The Box Office
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was predicted to bring in $41-$50 million this past weekend but as per Box Office Mojo. The movie placed 1st with an $80 million debut. While reviews for the film were fairly mediocre; the film benefits from the positive word of mouth of Godzilla Minus One. Which whetted the appetite of audiences for more Monsterverse content. With an A- CinemaScore, the movie is connecting with audiences far more than it did with critics.
The movie did cost $135 million to make, but with an $80 million opening, it’s likely to make its money back.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was expected to fall to second place. However, whereas the previous film in the franchise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, fell 45% in its second week. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire fell 65% and came in second with $15.7 million. Now that is partially because Afterlife played over Thanksgiving weekend which tends to be more profitable than Easter weekend. Still, it’s becoming clear that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is starting to trail its predecessor.
Dune: Part Two fell to third place with $11.1 million. The movie had to vacate premium large-format screens to make way for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and that undoubtedly had an impact. Kung Fu Panda 4 came in fourth with $10.2 million, and Immaculate was in fifth place with $3.3 million.
Next Week’s New Releases
Next weekend sees the release of two new movies: Monkey Man and The First Omen.
Monkey Man is projected to bring in $16-$25 million in its opening weekend. The First Omen is projected to bring in $8-$13 million.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will undoubtedly face a decrease in viewership but the real question is by how much. If going off of history with the Monsterverse movies, you can expect a 60% drop off, which would still have it earning roughly $32 million. That would most likely keep it in first place, with Monkey Man and The First Omen placing second and third place respectively.
As always we’ll find out next week!
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