Why GODZILLA X KONG Has Won Over Audiences Worldwide
By Movieguide® Contributor
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE had the second-strongest opening weekend this year, drawing audiences in through strong morals and epic battles.
The movie opened to just over $80 million domestically and an additional $114 million from 64 territories internationally. Audiences were eager to see the monsters in full effect as premium formats like Imax and Dolby Cinema accounted for 48% of the movie’s business.
GODZILLA X KONG marks the fifth movie in the “MonsterVerse” franchise, which also had a spinoff TV series on Apple TV+. Despite the IP’s massive fanbase worldwide, the movie’s success was never guaranteed.
“There’s nothing as a filmmaker that can prepare you for doing a movie with characters of 6-foot scale and 300-foot scale working together and all the insane mechanics that go along with making a kaiju movie,” director Adam Wingard told the L.A. Times. “I knew that I wasn’t done with the series because I knew there were untapped reservoirs of potential in terms of what could be done with the monsters.”
Even after the movie was complete, Wingard wasn’t out of the woods, as critics received GODZILLA X KONG lukewarmly, predicting it would only open to $55 million. Audiences, however, have connected with the moral story and the battle of good vs. evil, leading to its blockbuster success. A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:
GODZILLA X KONG takes a while to expose the new villain and what’s really happening in Hollow Earth. However, there’s lots of exciting action before those revelations occur, and afterwards. GODZILLA X KONG has a strong moral worldview. The story’s goals are to protect human civilization and restore a fallen kingdom. GODZILLA X KONG also promotes the love between a mother and her adopted daughter. It’s marred, however, by lots of mostly light foul language and intense, scary violence featuring giant monsters.
GODZILLA X KONG is the latest blockbuster hit to release in theaters in recent weeks. DUNE: PART TWO and KUNG FU PANDA 4 also drew large audiences to theaters, helping the industry gear up for the summer months. MONKEY MAN will release in early April, continuing the strong lineup of tentpole movies dragging the theater industry out of the winter slump.
Movieguide® previously reported:
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE enjoyed an incredible opening weekend, bringing in roughly $80 million domestically.
Critics projected the movie to bring in roughly $50 million before its launch. As is common with other Godzilla movies, GODZILLA X KONG was even more popular overseas, grossing $114 million across 64 territories…
GODZILLA X KONG’s success highlights the theater industry’s return to normal after an exceptionally slow January and February. Coming into March, BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE was the highest-grossing movie of the year, collecting just under $100 million. Since then, however, DUNE PART: TWO and KUNG FU PANDA 4 leapfrogged to first and second, grossing $252 million and $151 million respectively. GODZILLA X KONG is now hot on their tales.
The success of these movies early in the year is critical for the industry, as the movie business is largely momentum-based. The success of summer blockbusters largely depends on the success carried over from the spring.
“Every movie counts, and the importance of each film’s performance carries a lot of weight in terms of moving the needle,” said senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “The combination of DUNE, KUNG FU PANDA, GHOSTBUSTERS and now GODZILLA has shown the power of a few key releases to turn the box office tide in a relatively short amount of time.”