Nobody appears to have told Godzilla or King Kong that there’s an ongoing global pandemic which has stalled the moviegoing business for over a year, because the two warring giants have stomped all over box-office predictions to generate receipts totaling $285 million since Godzilla vs. Kong opened 12 days ago.
This total includes an impressive $44.2 million sophomore frame in China ($137.1M total), but it’s the U.S. 5-day Easter performance that will raise hopes in Hollywood that the industry can be revived. The $48.5 million opening for the Adam Wingard directed MonsterVerse movie is significant because the film is also available to stream simultaneously on HBO Max, a move which was seen as the death knell of theatres at the time WarnerMedia announced its entire 2021 slate would be available from home, but now seems to reinforce the idea that if people want to consume their films on the big-screen, then maybe they’re going to do it regardless of whether they can access it on a streaming service.
Interestingly, in Canada, where only a limited number of cinemas are open, they revealed that the VOD gross for Godzilla vs. Kong was $3 million, which itself is quite impressive, but also begs the question as to why other VOD statistics aren’t released as readily as this information.
Elsewhere at the U.S. box-office, in the shadow of the warring Kaiju, Sam Raimi produced The Unholy could only summon up a modest $3.2 million for a second place finish. You can read our ★★★ review of the Jeffrey Dean Morgan horror here.
Legends collide in “Godzilla vs. Kong” as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.
Godzilla vs. Kong is directed by Adam Wingard (The Guest, Blair Witch) and sees Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Kyle Chandler (Bloodline) and Ziyi Zhang (The Cloverfield Paradox) reprising their roles from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, while new additions to the MonsterVerse include Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies), Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta), Demian Bichir (The Hateful Eight), Rebecca Hall (Holmes and Watson), Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist), Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver), Shun Oguri (Crows Zero), Lance Reddick (The Wire) and Kaylee Hottle.
Source – BoxOfficeMojo