Godzilla vs Kong Smashes Pandemic Record with $48.5 Million Five-Day Domestic Opening; Continues to Roar Overseas
by Chris Nashawaty - Box Office News
April 4, 2021


After a long year of gloom and doom at the box office, the Easter holiday weekend finally offered a giant ray of hope for movie theaters thanks to two of cinema’s most iconic characters.

Godzilla vs. Kong, Warner Bros.’ big-budget kaiju grudge match, smashed pandemic-era records left and right in North America: The PG-13 extravaganza opened in the largest number of theaters since the COVID-19 outbreak (3,064); it had the largest opening day during that period ($9.6 million on Wednesday); it had the highest single-day gross ($12.5 million on Saturday); and it had the biggest three-day and five-day opening weekends ($32.2 million and $48.5 million respectively).

In other words, it was just the kind of monster weekend that Hollywood’s been waiting for.




The eagerly-awaited tentpole, which pits the 67-year-old radioactive lizard against the 88-year-old giant ape, roared past the previous opening weekend record holders from the past year — Tenet, which pulled in $20.2 million over Labor Day weekend, and Wonder Woman 1984, which earned $16.7 million in the first three days of its Christmas release.

With its muscular $10,509 per-screen average, Godzilla vs. Kong represented the first real sign of normalcy in a year that has been anything but normal. The blockbuster’s $48.5 million domestic haul in its first five days was especially impressive considering that the title is also available to HBO Max subscribers for no additional charge.




And while Warner Bros. has not released streaming numbers for the title yet, it did say that Godzilla vs. Kong had a “larger viewing audience than any other film or show on HBO Max since launch.” The film received an ‘A’ grade from CinemaScore.

Overseas, Godzilla vs. Kong continued to rampage at the box office, too. After raking in $121.8 million abroad last weekend, it added another $115.1 million this week, bringing its two-week international total to $236.9 million and its cumulative global haul to $285.4 million so far.







While Godzilla vs. Kong hogged all of the headlines, there was another newcomer to the Top 5 this weekend — Screen Gems’ occult horror film, The Unholy.

Despite middling-to-poor reviews, the PG-13-rated chiller starring "The Walking Dead" star Jeffrey Dean Morgan debuted in second place with a more down-to-earth $3.2 million. Opening in 1,850 theaters, The Unholy scored a $1,729 per-screen average.

It has not opened internationally yet.







In third place was last week’s champion, Nobody. Universal’s bullet-riddled action flick about a suburban dad-turned-vigilante (Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk) added $3.1 million its second frame.

The PG-13-rated film dropped off -55% from the previous weekend and managed a $1,195 per-screen average in 2,567 theaters, bringing its domestic box office total to $11.9 million.

Outside of North America, the movie has tacked on $9.2 million, bringing its cumulative worldwide gross to $21.1 million.







In fourth place was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. In its fifth week in theaters, the PG-rated computer-animated adventure added $2.1 million domestically, slipping -45.4% from the previous session.

Despite also being available as a premium VOD rental on the Disney+ streaming platform for a $30 fee, the film had a $1,011 per-screen average in 2,031 theaters, bringing its domestic box office total to $32.2 million.

Overseas, Raya has racked up $54.2 million to date, pushing its current worldwide total to $86.4 million.







Rounding out the top five was Warner Bros.’ Tom and Jerry, which piled on another $1.4 million in its sixth week in multiplexes.

The PG-rated ‘toon starring the iconic, squabbling cat-and-mouse team dipped -44% from last weekend and scored a $615 per-screen average in 2,273 locations. Its six-week domestic total now stands at $39.5 million.

Abroad, the film has added $54 million thus far, bringing its worldwide tally to $93.5 million.







Landing just outside of the top five was the weekend’s last rookie of note:

Atlas Distribution Company’s The Girl Who Believes in Miracles. The religious-themed drama about a young girl who seems to be able to heal the sick, bowed in sixth place with $580,068.

The PG-rated indie, which stars Austyn Johnson and Mira Sorvino, opened in 640 theaters and had a $906 per-screen average.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed1097860100/?ref_=bo_hm_hp







April 2-5, 2021: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. Godzilla vs Kong $32,200,000 / $48,500,000
2. The Unholy $3,478,590
3. Nobody $3,277,120 / $12,081,415
4. Raya and the Last Dragon $2,264,727 / $32,397,647
5. The Girl Who Believes in Miracles $589,000
6. The Courier $494,425 / $4,300,091
7. Chaos Walking $416,995 / $12,270,063
8. The Croods: A New Age $257,815 / $56,392,373
9. The Marksman $172,969 / $15,043,101
10. Boogie $128,950 / $4,073,845

Godzilla vs. Kong Keeps Roaring at #1 with $13.4 Million in Second Weekend; Passes $350 Million Mark at Global Box Office
by Chris Nashawaty - Box Office News
April 11, 2021


While it didn’t roar quite as loudly as it did in its debut weekend, Warner Bros.’ big-budget clash of the titans, Godzilla vs. Kong, continued to rule the box office in its sophomore frame, adding $13.4 million at the domestic box office.

And thanks to its monster-sized overseas haul, the titanic tentpole also managed to stomp past Christopher Nolan’s Tenet to become the new top-grossing film of the pandemic era.







The PG-13 extravaganza did however suffer a steep -58% drop off at home this weekend, earning a $4,338 per-screen average in 3,084 theaters. Even so, Godzilla vs. Kong is, hands down, the season’s new alpha predator. And its North American haul is especially impressive considering that the film is also available on the HBO Max streaming service for no additional fee.

The film has pulled in $288.3 million to date overseas (the lion’s share of which has come from China, where it has raked in $165.4 million, bringing its cumulative worldwide total to $357.8 million).







In the runner-up spot this weekend was Universal’s Nobody. The bullet-riddled action flick about a suburban dad-turned-vigilante (Bob Odenkirk) added just under $2.7 million its third session.

The PG-13-rated film slipped a mere -11.7% from the previous weekend and managed an $1,104 per-screen average in 2,400 theaters, bringing its domestic box office total to $15.6 million.

Outside of North America, the movie has tacked on $13.2 million, bringing its total worldwide gross to $28.8 million.







In third place was Screen Gems’ occult horror film, The Unholy. The PG-13-rated chiller starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan dipped -23.9% in its second weekend with $2.4 million.

Unspooling in 1,850 theaters, The Unholy scored a $1,297 per-screen average. It has earned a negligible $233,582 internationally, putting its combined box-office total at a hair under $7 million.







In fourth was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. In its sixth week, the PG-rated computer-animated adventure tacked on another $2.1 million domestically, popping +4.9% from the previous frame.

Despite also being available as a premium VOD rental on the Disney+ streaming platform for a $30 fee, the film had a $1,102 per-screen average in 1,941 theaters, bringing its domestic box office total to $35.2 million.

Overseas, Raya has accumulated $54.8 million to date, pushing its current worldwide total to $90 million.







Rounding out the top five was the weekend’s only noteworthy debut—Lionsgate’s Voyagers, which came out of the gate to slightly less than $1.4 million at the domestic box office.

Despite withering reviews, the PG-13-rated sci-fi thriller about a crew of young men and women in outer space featuring Tye Sheridan, Fionn Whitehead, and Lily-Rose Depp, scored a $684 per-screen average in 1,972 locations.

Voyagers has not yet opened overseas.







Finally, in the run-up to this year’s Academy Awards, only two of the eight Best Picture nominees saw a boost in business at theaters over the weekend:

Sony Picture Classics’ The Father, which witnessed a +36.5% bump from the previous weekend, and A24’s Minari, which popped +8%.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed1081082884/?ref_=bo_hm_hp







April 9-11, 2021: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. Godzilla vs. Kong $13,880,000 / $70,000,000
2. Nobody $2,646,600 / $15,623,735
3. The Unholy $2,401,596 / $6,733,474
4. Raya and the Last Dragon $2,201,918 / $35,302,329
5. Voyagers $1,379,988
6. Tom and Jerry $1,185,000 / $41,197,000
7. The Girl Who Believes in Miracles $560,500 / $1,282,225
8. The Courier $439,279 / $4,910,448
9. Chaos Walking $273,866 / $12,683,521
10. The Croods: A New Age $243,845 / $56,716,638

I saw it in 3D.

The 3D was great & the fight scenes were quite good but the story was lacking IMO.

Godzilla vs. Kong Three-peats at #1, Roaring Past $80M at Domestic Box Office and $300M Overseas
by Chris Nashawaty - Box Office News
April 18, 2021


With little in the way of supersized cinematic foes to battle at the box office, Warner Bros.’ big-budget clash of the titans, Godzilla vs. Kong, kept stomping the competition this weekend, three-peating as the No. 1 film in North America, adding another $7.7 million to its already-impressive haul in its third frame.

The titanic PG-rated tentpole, which pits the legendary lizard against the skyscraper-sized simian sensation, lost some steam from the previous weekend, dipping -44.5%, but its $80.5 domestic total further cemented its place as the biggest hit of the pandemic era.




The film earned a $2,567 per-screen average in 3,001 theaters, which is especially impressive considering that it is also available on the HBO Max streaming service for no additional fee.

Even more impressive, however, was how the film has been performing abroad. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, Godzilla vs. Kong has pulled in a monster-sized $309.7 million to date—the lion’s share of which has come from China, where it has racked up roughly $177 million—bringing its cumulative worldwide total to $390.2 million.

That puts it on track to pass the $400 million milestone this week.







In the runner-up spot once again this weekend was Universal’s Nobody. The bullet-riddled action flick about a suburban dad-turned-vigilante (Bob Odenkirk) added $2.5 million its fourth session.

The PG-13-rated film slipped a mere -4.8% from the previous weekend and managed an $1,047 per-screen average in 2,405 theaters (not bad since it also finally bowed on premium VOD this week), bringing its domestic box office total to $19 million.

Outside of North America, the movie has tacked on just under $15.5 million, bringing its total worldwide gross to $34.5 million.







In third place was Screen Gems’ occult horror film, The Unholy. The PG-13-rated chiller starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan dropped off -14.2% in its third weekend with a hair under $2.1 million.

Unspooling in 2,057 theaters, The Unholy scored a $1,001 per-screen average. It has tacked on a negligible $447,817 internationally, putting its combined box-office total at $10 million.







In fourth was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. In its seventh week, the PG-rated computer-animated adventure padded its take with another $1.9 million domestically, falling -13.7% from the previous frame.

Despite also being available as a premium VOD rental on the Disney+ streaming platform for a $30 fee, the film had a $976 per-screen average in 1,945 theaters, bringing its domestic box office total to roughly $37.7 million.

Overseas, Raya has accumulated $58 million to date, pushing its current worldwide total to approximately $95.7 million.







Rounding out the top five was an old friend, Warner Bros.’ Tom and Jerry, which had recently been bounced out of the Top 5, but made a strong comeback this weekend.

The PG-rated ‘toon starring the iconic, squabbling cat-and-mouse team earned $1.1 million in its eighth week, losing -9.9% from the previous weekend and scoring a $537 per-screen average in 2,028 locations. Its two-month domestic total is now $42.6 million.

Internationally, the film has added $58.8 million thus far, bringing its worldwide tally to $101.4 million.







The weekend’s other debut of note was Neon’s pandemic-themed horror film In the Earth.

Written and directed by British bad boy Ben Wheatley (2013’s A Field in England, 2015’s High-Rise), the atmospheric R-rated fright flick about a scientist and a park ranger searching deep in the woods for a cure to a deadly virus landed in the No. 8 spot, scaring up $506,000 in 547 theaters—which translates into a $925 per-screen average.

It has not yet opened internationally.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed1332741124/?ref_=bo_hm_hp







April 16-18, 2021: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. Godzilla vs. Kong $7,847,227 / $80,657,654
2. Nobody $2,500,170 / $19,031,215
3. The Unholy $2,051,073 / $9,553,806
4. Raya and the Last Dragon $1,921,979 / $37,696,589
5. Tom and Jerry $1,112,723 / $42,600,064
6. Voyagers $779,317 / $779,317
7. The Girl Who Believes in Miracles $556,000 / $2,000,725
8. In the Earth $505,723
9. The Courier $440,005 / $5,525,906
10. The Croods: A New Age $304,825 / $57,083,173

Good to hear!