Nearly three months after it was released in theaters, Godzilla vs. Kong crosses the $100 million mark at the domestic box office. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the past year has been a difficult one for the entertainment industry. The box office saw record lows amid movie theaters across the globe shutting down. Major movies were either delayed or sent to streaming. This year has finally seen signs of recovery, with each week bringing more positive news. Back in March, Godzilla vs. Kong helped lead the charge.
Godzilla vs. Kong debuted on March 31 both in theaters and on HBO Max. At the time, its $48.5 million opening ($32 million across the 3-day weekend) was the biggest debut of the pandemic, beating out previous record holder Wonder Woman 1984. Many took this as a good sign that audiences were ready to return to theaters, and since then, movies like A Quiet Place Part II and Cruella have put in solid performances to further aid the box office's recovery. For its part, Godzilla vs. Kong has shown remarkable legs over the past few months.
According to Variety, Godzilla vs. Kong has finally crossed $100 million at the domestic box office. After being stuck just below that number for several weeks, the MonsterVerse installment earned $220,000 over the past weekend, which pushed it over the line. Godzilla vs. Kong has now earned $100.113 million domestically. Its global total sits at $442.5 million, which puts it ahead of previous franchise installment Godzilla: King of the Monsters ($386 million in 2019).
Godzilla vs. Kong is not the first movie since the pandemic began to cross the $100 million milestone; that honor goes to A Quiet Place Part II, which did so the weekend before GvK. Nevertheless, the performances of both movies are welcome indications that the moviegoing experience can survive after a year of shutdowns and increased reliance on streaming. The next few weeks are expected to see even bigger debuts with F9 and Black Widow, which can pave the way for a lucrative fall.
Godzilla vs. Kong is the fourth and biggest installment in Legendary's MonsterVerse, the franchise that first began with 2014's Godzilla. Though many pegged GvK to be the final movie in the series, news of its success seemingly spurred the development of another one. Director Adam Wingard reportedly entered talks to direct the next MonsterVerse film in late April. Now that Godzilla vs. Kong has made it to $100 million domestically and even greater heights overseas, it seems even more likely that the MonsterVerse will get to live on. Audiences came out to watch Kong and Gojira battle each other, and they've shown they'd like to see more.
Source: Variety