Kong: Skull Island is proving to be a huge hit for Legendary Pictures. The second entry in their shared MonsterVerse is performing strong all around the world thanks to its blend of action and comedy, all wrapped in period trappings. Plus, there's all those exciting monsters. Though it takes place in the '70s, the film still ties into 2014's Godzilla, and helps to set up the sequel King of Monsters. After that, the two giants will be duking it out in 2020 with Kong vs. Godzilla.

While a King Kong movie may be considered a somewhat safe bet, the bold direction of the film and blockbuster fatigue never made its success a sure thing. Luckily for Legendary, it's done well with both critics and audiences. Though it lost last weekend to Beauty and the Beast, it still finished second after beating Logan the prior week. Considering the highly-acclaimed X-Men film was only in its second week, that's an impressive debut for the great ape. Now, the film has officially premiered in China, which has garnered it even more financial clout.

Deadline reports that the Thursday and Friday numbers for Kong in China are $22.5 million. That makes it the second biggest opening for an American film behind Resident Evil: The Final Chapter -- itself a huge international hit. Given the universal appeal of King Kong and its long history, it's not a huge surprise. Still, China has become one of the biggest film markets in the world, so success there is meaningful.

All told, the film has now broken $300 million at the global box office, and will likely keep climbing to new heights from there. Meanwhile, the release of the film has brought with it all sorts of behind-the-scenes glimpses into the making of the movie. We've seen concept art for the main characters and the natives of Skull Island. More interestingly, we got a look at two pieces of art recently teasing Kong actually being worshiped as a king in the film. Sadly, that had to be cut, but we could see something similar in the movie's inevitable sequel.

We've also heard from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts that he wants John C. Reilly's show-stealing character to get his own spinoff. While that seems like a bit of a stretch, 2017 has proven that an Apocalypse Now-themed King Kong movie can be a hit at the box office. At this point, anything's possible when it comes to the world of Kong: Skull Island.

Next: Exclusive Kong: Skull Island Concept Art: Heroes & Island Natives

Source: Deadline