Godzilla and Kong are back on the big screen, and we couldn’t be happier. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is bigger and way more bombastic than anything we’ve seen in the MonsterVerse before, and it appears to be a hit with audiences around the world. The figures don’t lie. The fifth film in the franchise stomped to the top of the US box office after grossing $80 million from 3,861 North American theaters, performing better than previously projected. To put it in perspective, it was only $2 million away from beating Dune: Part Two‘s $82.5 million domestic opening weekend.
Entering the weekend, the bank holiday weekend, no less, the team up was expected to bring in roughly $50-$55 million, so it absolutely obliterated that prediction by $30 million. Although it couldn’t triumph over Godzilla‘s $93 million from 2014, which had the benefit of being the first Hollywood Godzilla movie since 1998, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire marks the second-biggest debut for the MonsterVerse. But how did it do worldwide?
The answer is a very positive one, especially in regards to the future. Exceeding expectations once again, The New Empire collected a healthy $114 million from 64 oversea territories, bringing the total to $194 million. Despite only being out for 3 days, it is already the third-highest grossing movie of 2024.
2024 top grossing movies
- Dune: Part Two – $626 million (5 weeks in cinema)
- Kung Fu Panda 4 – $347 million (4 weeks in cinema- UK release March 28th)
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $194 million (opening weekend)
At the moment, it’s hard to say how well Godzilla x Kong will do, but this is a very good start for the two Titans. It is still early days, but it will be interesting to see how these figures climb in the coming weeks. For it to really make a big impact, it would probably have to beat Godzilla vs. Kong which was released during the pandemic-era. Their first fight managed to gross $470 million, so it’s just under halfway there. Only time will tell, but this movie may be the difference between the continuation of the MonsterVerse and it crawling back into an atomic slumber.
Check out the trailer below:
Once again at the helm is director Adam Wingard. The film stars Rebecca Hall (Godzilla vs. Kong, The Night House), Brian Tyree Henry (Eternals, Bullet Train), Dan Stevens (Legion, Beauty and the Beast), Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns (The Batman, Wrath of Man, Chernobyl) and Fala Chen (Irma Vep, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
The screenplay is by Terry Rossio (Godzilla vs. Kong, the Pirates of the Caribbean series) and Simon Barrett (You’re Next) and Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), from a story by Rossio & Wingard & Barrett, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Thomas Tull and Brian Rogers. The executive producers are Wingard, Jen Conroy, Jay Ashenfelter, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is in cinemas right now. What did you think? Make sure you let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to check out James’ full review here.
