The grudge match of the year could very well be the first sign that moviegoers are truly ready to get back to seeing movies at their local theater again. Godzilla Vs. Kong opened yesterday at the domestic box office & the film scored the best opening day of the pandemic by a long shot.
Godzilla Vs. Kong grossed $9.6 million on its opening day which is essentially a record opening day during the pandemic. Since theaters shuttered last March & then began slowly reopening last August, no film has come close to touching this figure on opening day. The figure is also impressive considering Godzilla Vs. Kong is also streaming on HBO Max for the next 30 days. The figure also gives strong support to the notion that it was wise for studios to wait for movie theaters in Los Angeles and New York City to reopen because those huge markets likely fueled much of the opening day gross.
Word of mouth is also looking good for Godzilla Vs. Kong. The film scored an "A" CinemaScore which improves on the "B+" grades earned by 2014's Godzilla, 2017's Kong: Skull Island, & 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In the latest film, Kong clashes with Godzilla as humans lure the ape into the Hollow Earth to retrieve an energy source to stop Godzilla's mysterious rampages. The movie stars Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza Gonzalez, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demian Bichir.
This continues the box office good fortune of Godzilla Vs. Kong which debuted internationally to $123.1 million, with $69.2 million of that figure coming from China. On the international front, Godzilla Vs. Kong is tracking 61% ahead of 2014's Godzilla & 13% of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, despite the pandemic. The film carries a $200 million budget & early indication shows it should exceed that globally. The box office isn't back 100% but Godzilla Vs. Kong shows it still has some life in it.
Are YOU surprised by the opening day gross for Godzilla Vs. Kong? Have YOU caught the film in theaters?