Damien did not need the seven daggers from Meggido to kill him this time – just a lizard and an ape. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire continued its dominance at the box office for the second consecutive week, effortlessly fending off competition, as per studio estimates released on Sunday.
Following its impressive $80 million debut last weekend, the MonsterVerse spectacle brought in $31.7 million in its second weekend, experiencing a 60% drop from its opening. Directed by Adam Wingard, the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures collaboration has surpassed the performance of most recent monster films from the studio, trailing behind only 2014’s Godzilla.
With a global tally of $361.1 million in just two weeks, Godzilla x Kong stands poised to surpass the $529 million worldwide earnings of its 2014 predecessor. The latest installment, featuring a collaboration between Godzilla and Kong, carries a production cost of approximately $135 million.
As Godzilla x Kong continued its box office reign, another primate-themed film made its debut. Dev Patel’s Monkey Man, a revenge thriller set in India and released by Universal Pictures, premiered in 3,029 North American theaters with an estimated $10.1 million in ticket sales.
This marked a solid start for Patel’s directorial debut, a modestly budgeted project in which he also stars. The politically charged action extravaganza, costing about $10 million to produce, was rescued by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions after being dropped by its original studio, Netflix.
In contrast, The First Omen, a new wide release from Disney’s 20th Century Studios, struggled to captivate audiences. The R-rated horror film, directed by Arkasha Stevenson and starring Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, and Bill Nighy, debuted in fourth place with an estimated $8.4 million in ticket sales across 3,375 theaters.
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However, it garnered an additional $9.1 million overseas. This iteration, serving as a prequel to the 1976 Richard Donner-directed original starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, fell short compared to its 2006 predecessor, The Omen. Meanwhile, Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire secured third place with $9 million in its third weekend, accumulating $88.8 million domestically and $138 million worldwide.
Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two maintained its strong performance, adding $7.2 million in its sixth week, with a domestic total of $264 million. In China, Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning The Boy and the Heron m ade waves, setting records for a non-Chinese animated film with a five-day total surpassing $70 million since its Wednesday debut. The acclaimed Japanese anime from Studio Ghibli continues to captivate audiences overseas.
1. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $31.7 million.
2. “Monkey Man,” $10.1 million.
3. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $9 million.
4. “The First Omen,” $8.4 million.
5. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $7.9 million.
6. “Dune: Part Two,” $7.2 million.
7. “Someone Like You,” $3 million.
8. “Wicked Little Letters,” $1.6 million.
9. “Arthur the King,” $1.5 million.
10. “Immaculate,” $1.4 million.
(Source: Associated Press)
