King Kong returned to the big screen this weekend as Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures unleashed Kong: Skull Island, the second film in their shared ‘MonsterVerse’, and the film has amassed a healthy opening, pulling in $142.6 million worldwide.
The Jordan Vogt-Roberts-directed monster epic grossed $61 million domestically to knock Logan into second place in the chart, with a further $81.6 million from international markets. Initial tracking had pegged the film at $135 million.
While Kong: Skull Island is certainly off to a strong start, it will face some very stiff competition next weekend as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast hits cinemas; given that it boasts a whopping $185 million production budget, along with a reported $136 million in advertising costs, Legendary and Warner Bros. will be hoping that strong reviews and word of mouth help push the film beyond the $529.1 million haul of Godzilla back in 2014.
SEE ALSO: Read our reviews of Kong: Skull Island here, here and here
When a scientific expedition to an uncharted island awakens titanic forces of nature, a mission of discovery becomes an explosive war between monster and man. Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly star in a thrilling and original new adventure that reveals the untold story of how Kong became King.
Kong: Skull Island sees Jordan Vogt-Roberts directing a cast that includes Tom Hiddleston (High-Rise), Brie Larson (Room), John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane), John C. Reilly (The Lobster), Thomas Mann (Me and Girl and the Dying Girl), Corey Hawkins (The Walking Dead), Toby Kebbell (Fantastic Four), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), Samuel L. Jackson (Avengers: Age of Ultron), John Ortiz (Silver Linings Playbook) and Shea Whigham (Cop Car).
Originally published March 12, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
