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

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!

For more on Movie News, check back to That Hashtag Show.