Leapin’ lizards! It looks like our two favorite Kaiju (or titans) are on their way to a mighty weekend at the box office, with Deadline reporting that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has grossed a muscular $8 million in its early Thursday previews. That’s almost double what Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire made last week but about $2 million less than Dune: Part Two made earlier this month. Everyone is predicting (including us) a roughly $50 million opening for the film, which could, theoretically, go a little bit higher given how well the early screenings are doing. It’s the second-best preview night for a Legendary MonsterVerse movie, with the 2014 version of Godzilla earning $9.4 million.
All in all, this is a really good start for a franchise that, before the pandemic, seemed like it was dying. Certainly, WB and Legendary made a smart choice bringing director Adam Wingard onboard, with him bringing just the right, fun vibe the movies need. As I mentioned in my review, Wingard keeps the movies tight (just under two hours), and sidelines the humans in favor of what everyone wants to see – more monster action. Godzilla x Kong takes this a bit further than the other films, with long stretches of the film not having any dialogue at all, and it works quite well.
So far, the reviews for Godzilla x Kong aren’t all that hot, but what will be more important than anything else will be the CinemaScore rating, as that’s what really judges whether or not a film will have legs at the box office. No news yet on what Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire grossed last night. Hopefully, the film will have some decent legs in order to keep the franchise going.
What are you going to see this Easter Weekend? Let us know in the comments!
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