Godzilla and King Kong battle in Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
Source: Warner Bros.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is smashing pandemic box office records.
On Saturday Warner Bros., which produced the movie alongside Legendary, revealed that its kaiju-filled film had topped $60 million at the domestic box office, making it the highest-grossing movie to be released during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Previously, “Tenet,” another Warner Bros. film held the record with $58.5 million, which it secured during its theatrical run in 2020.
As it stands, Warner Bros.’ films currently represent four out of the top five highest-grossing films released during the pandemic. “Tenet” is the second highest, “Wonder Woman 1984,” which tallied $46.2 million is the fourth, and “Tom and Jerry,” which hovers at $40.3 million, is fifth.
The third-highest grossing film of the pandemic is Universal’s “Croods: A New Age,” which scored $56.5 million during its time in theaters.
“It’s beginning to look a lot like summer in April with ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ crossing box-office milestones that would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “Warner Bros.’ release strategy paid off big and, in the process, proved that the movie theater is still king when it comes to creating the most impactful and immersive moviegoing experience.”
“Godzilla vs. Kong” has shattered a number of records since opening March 31. The film posted the largest opening weekend since the coronavirus pandemic began, hauling in $32.2 million over its first Friday, Saturday and Sunday in theaters.
It also opened in more than 3,000 theaters in North America over the weekend, the most of any film during the pandemic, had the largest opening day on Wednesday with $9.6 million and the largest single day on Saturday with $12.5 million.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” signals that consumers are eager to head to the cinema for new blockbuster features and suggests that the summer slate could see similar success.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.
