Warner Bros. monster crossover will easily score the biggest opening weekend since the start of the pandemic
Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla vs. Kong” has provided a king-sized boost to the box office recovery effort, earning $11.6 million from 3,064 locations on Friday. Combined with the $16.3 million earned on Wednesday and Thursday, the Legendary MonsterVerse installment has earned $27.9 million so far in North America and is set for an estimated $45 million-plus 5-day launch.
That result is by far the largest opening weekend for a North American release since the start of the pandemic, topping the $20.2 million Labor Day weekend opening of “Tenet.” Despite the film’s availability on HBO Max, “Godzilla vs. Kong” has provided theaters with a major blockbuster designed for the big screen at a time when audiences are regaining confidence in going to movie theaters with the growing availability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Regal Cinemas has responded to the film’s arrival by beginning the reopening process for its nationwide circuit, joining AMC and Cinemark to bring the amount of reopened theaters in the U.S. to over 90%, though Canada lags behind with about 25% of its theaters open.
Reception for the film has also been strong, with critics giving the film a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes while audiences gave the film a 94% RT score and an A in CinemaScore exit polls. That’s a significant improvement over the film’s 2019 predecessor, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” which got a 42% critics RT score and a B+ on CinemaScore.
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