Los Angeles, California – “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is making waves at the box office, bringing in an impressive $8 million from previews that started at 3 PM on Thursday in approximately 3,400 locations. The film, directed by Adam Wingard, is the latest installment in the MonsterVerse series by Legendary and Warner Bros.
After a lack of major event titles in the first quarter of the year due to strikes, “Godzilla x Kong” is providing a much-needed boost to the box office. This marks the second-best previews for a Legendary MonsterVerse movie, following the success of the 2014 “Godzilla,” which raked in $9.3 million from previews.
Despite the positive reception from audiences, with a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave “Godzilla x Kong” a lukewarm review of 56%. The film is expected to play in 3,850 theaters on Friday, with enhancements like Imax, PLFs, and ScreenX.
This latest installment in the MonsterVerse series follows the success of 2021’s “Godzilla v. Kong,” which opened to $48.1 million over the Easter holiday period. Directed by Wingard as well, “Godzilla v. Kong” reignited moviegoing following the year-long shutdown of major box office markets.
“Dune: Part Two,” also from Warner Bros, continues to dominate the box office, with a total of $239.3 million domestically and nearly $600 million worldwide. The film is set to share Imax auditoriums with “Godzilla x Kong,” further solidifying its position as the highest-grossing title of 2024 to date.
Warner Bros has not provided any comments on the current estimates for “Godzilla x Kong,” but initial projections suggested an opening weekend of $50 million. With the film’s performance so far, it remains to be seen how it will fare in the coming weeks.