We’ve all been keeping a close eye on the international Box Office. Numbers have been down quite a bit since the pandemic hit. It was clear that it wouldn’t change overnight. Studios were looking towards streaming as an alternative to avoid overflooding the market whenever it would heal. Plus, it was uncertain when one could even talk about “normalcy” in the cinema market ever again. Black Widow seemed like the film that would help guide the Box Office back, but Disney decided to give it a simultaneous release on Disney+ and in theaters. It even got postponed. So, the hope lied with the upcoming release of Godzilla vs. Kong to get the ball rolling.
Well, it finally happened. After various films barely made a dent, the latest entry in Legendary’s Monsterverse has surpassed expectations. The film debut with around $121.8M in 38 overseas markets over the weekend. China was the strongest gainer here with $70.34M. It had the largest opening for a Hollywood title since the pandemic started with $21.5M. On top of that, it also managed to top 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters opening Box Office in China, which was at an unadjusted $66M. It is even tracking ahead of the film by 11% on par with Kong: Skull Island‘s opening.
Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway has also seen some stronger legs in Australia before the Easter holiday. Deadline believes the film might have long legs, which is also very likely for the latest adaptation of the battle between a giant lizard and ape. Hopefully, it is a good sign we’ll have plenty more Western adaptations of Kong and Godzilla in the future. Godzilla: King of the Monsters has struggled a bit fearing for the franchise’s end, but now it may just be a new beginning.
Source: Deadline
