Godzilla x Kong Box Office Exceeds Expectations In Week 2, Making Entire Budget Back

Summary

• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
  exceeded its second-weekend expectations with a solid $31.7 million domestic total.
• The movie’s cumulative domestic total now matches its $135 million production budget.
• It is well on its way to becoming a profitable worldwide hit.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has fought past expectations to turn out an even more solid second weekend than anticipated. The new movie is the fifth installment in the Monsterverse, which combines characters and locations from the Hollywood King Kong franchise and the Japanese Godzilla franchise, adding original human characters and monsters along the way. Helmed by Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard, the blockbuster sequel features returning stars Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry alongside franchise newcomer Dan Stevens.

Per Deadline, the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire box office is now projected to take in a 3-day domestic total of $31.7 million by the end of its second weekend in theaters, a roughly average 60% drop from its $80 million opening weekend. This more than exceeds the movie’s projections as of Saturday, which had the title landing somewhere between $25 and $28 million. Its cumulative domestic total has now reached $135 million, which exactly matches its production budget.

How Is Godzilla x Kong Comparing To The Rest Of The Monsterverse In Week 2?

The Movie Has The Lowest Budget Of The Monsterverse

The Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire release earning its budget back after just 10 days at the domestic box office is unprecedented. No other movie in the franchise has pulled off this feat so far, though this may be the case for two reasons. First, Godzilla vs. Kong came out in 2021 when the box office was still suffering from a mid-pandemic depression. Second, The New Empire has the lowest budget of the entire franchise. Below, see how the budgets, day 10 domestic totals, and overall worldwide grosses for all five movies in the franchise compare:

While it may have the lowest budget of the Monsterverse movies, Godzilla x Kong nevertheless had the second-best 10-day domestic total of the entire franchise. This indicates that the movie is performing competitively both in terms of its production economics and its theatrical grosses. While it remains to be seen how it performs worldwide by the end of its run, it could very well be on the way to crossing $500 million like its two closest competitors in the franchise.

While it has consistently trailed behind the original 2014 movie, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire still has a chance to become the highest-grossing movie in the franchise overall. This is especially the case if it receives a boost from international markets. However, even if it doesn’t outgross either that movie or Kong: Skull Island, it could nevertheless very easily become the best theatrical return on investment in the entire series.

Source: Deadline