new york – “Godzilla x Kong: New Empire” easily defeated two challengers and retained its top spot at the box office for the second consecutive week, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
After a better-than-expected $80 million launch last weekend, the MonsterVerse mashup grossed $31.7 million in its second weekend, a 60% drop from its debut. The Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures release, directed by Adam Wingard, has so far outpaced the studio's recent monster movies except for 2014's “Godzilla.”
However, “Godzilla x Kong,'' which grossed $361.1 million worldwide in two weeks, could ultimately surpass the worldwide box office gross of 2014's “Godzilla,'' which grossed $529 million. There is. The latest film, in which Godzilla and Kong team up, cost approximately $135 million to make.
“Godzilla x Kong” further boosted its box office success with another primate-themed movie released in theaters. Dev Patel's “The Monkey Man'', a revenge thriller set in India and released by Universal Pictures, opened in 3,029 theaters in North America with an estimated $10.1 million.
This is a strong debut for Patel's low-budget directorial debut, starring him in a bloody political action extravaganza. “Monkey Man,” which cost about $10 million to make, was canceled by original studio Netflix before Jordan Peele and his Monkey Paw Productions swooped in.
“The First Omen,” another new wide release from Disney's 20th Century Studios over the weekend, struggled to make a big impact with moviegoers. It sold an estimated $8.4 million in tickets from 3,375 theaters, and took in an additional $9.1 million overseas for fourth place. The R-rated horror film, which cost about $30 million to make, is a prequel to the 1976 original directed by Richard Donner and starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.
This version, directed by Alkasha Stevenson and starring Nell Tiger Free, Tawfik Barhom, and Bill Nighy, opened in 2006 with an opening gross of $16 million and a final gross of $119 million. It follows “The Omen'' in 2011.
The lukewarm opening of “The First Omen'' helped Sony's “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' take third place with $9 million in its third weekend. The sci-fi comedy sequel collected $88.8 million domestically, and $138 million worldwide.
Warner Bros. 'Dune: Part 2 continues to do well. It increased by $7.2 million in its sixth week, dropping just 37% for a domestic total of $264 million.
One of this week's biggest box office hits was in China, where Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron was released in theaters. This highly acclaimed Japanese anime has set records for non-Chinese animated films. After Wednesday's opening, the five-day total exceeded $70 million, a new record for Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday in theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to ComScore. Final national figures will be released on Monday.
1. “Godzilla x Kong: New Empire,” $31.7 million.
2. “Monkey Man,” $10.1 million.
3. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, $9 million.
4. “The First Omen,” $8.4 million.
5. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $7.9 million.
6. “Dune: Part 2,” $7.2 million.
7. “Someone Like You,” $3 million.
8. “Wicked Little Letters,” $1.6 million.
9. “Arthur the King,” $1.5 million.
10. “Immaculate,” $1.4 million.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.