Godzilla X Kong Looks To Be Another Winner For The MonsterVerse At The Box Office
2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong" was one of the key movies that helped to save theaters as the industry was trying to recover from the pandemic. Now, the MonsterVerse returns with a new entry that is once again poised to give theaters a much-needed boost. "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" sees the two legendary monsters teaming up to tackle a new threat. What does that mean? Even more monsters! Three years later, moviegoers still appear to be eager to see these versions of these characters as the film is eyeing a strong debut at the box office over Easter weekend.
Director Adam Wingard's "Godzilla x Kong" is currently tracking to debut between $45 and $50 million over the holiday weekend, per Deadline. Unlike many holiday weekends, there is no Monday or Friday that the general public has off from work to help goose the numbers. Which means that, all things considered, these projections are quite good. "Godzilla vs. Kong" benefitted greatly from a five-day opening, pulling in $48.5 million domestically even though it was also available to stream on HBO Max. Granted, the situation was wildly different as theaters were just getting back on their feet and there were very few other big movies to compete with. At the same time, audiences are far more willing — generally speaking — to return to theaters another three years removed. Case in point, "GxK" is looking to make in just three days roughly what "GvK" did over its first five days.
The current projections also might be on the low side, which is good news for Warner Bros. and Legendary. Box Office Pro currently has the film taking in anywhere between $43 and $52 million across its three-day opening. While the budget has yet to be revealed, it figures to be in the same ballpark as the previous films in the MonsterVerse, which cost anywhere between $155 and $185 million. Given the large appeal these films have overseas, things are looking good in the early going.
The MonsterVerse strikes again?
The new film, which is the fifth in the MonsterVerse overall, sees Kong and Godzilla unite to battle an undiscovered threat. The film also delves further into the history of the Titans and their origins, as well as Skull Island and beyond. The human cast includes Rebecca Hall ("The Night House"), Brian Tyree Henry ("Bullet Train"), Dan Stevens ("Legion"), Kaylee Hottle ("Godzilla vs. Kong"), Alex Ferns ("Chernobyl"), and Fala Chen ("Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings").
Also of note, Wingard is now the only director to helm two movies in the franchise. Gareth Edwards directed 2014's "Godzilla," Jordan Vogt-Roberts helmed 2017's "Kong: Skull Island," and Michael Dougherty got behind the camera for 2019's "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." For what it's worth, "Godzilla" still holds the record for this franchise with a $93 million opening weekend en route to a $529 million global finish. "Skull Island" remains the biggest global grosser with $561 million worldwide.
"Godzilla vs. Kong" pulled in $468 million globally, which was a huge sum in 2021. The catch is that the film made $188 million of that haul in China. Since the pandemic began, very few Hollywood movies have broken through in China in that way. WB and Legendary are undoubtedly hoping that Chinese audiences will turn up once again to help justify this film's kaiju-sized budget.
Another thing that might help is the hangover from last year's "Godzilla Minus One." The Japanese film became a breakthrough hit in the U.S. on its way to a historic Oscar win for Best Visual Effects. Audiences who enjoyed that experience may be looking to soak up some more monster goodness. Though tonally very different, this is the obvious way to satisfy that appetite.
"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" hits theaters on March 29, 2024.