According to Warner Bros., Godzilla vs. Kong is looking to shatter box office expectations this weekend with an impressive $9.6 million domestic on its opening day, Wednesday, March 31. This jaw-dropping opening day total makes Godzilla vs. Kong the movie with the highest opening day here in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic back in March 2020.
Per Warner Bros., Godzilla vs. Kong's $9.6 million opening day accounts for approximately 93% of the domestic market. The movie opened in 2,409 locations and will expand to 3,064 by Friday, which means audiences will keep flocking towards cinemas to watch Godzilla fight Kong in record-shattering numbers for the next couple of days (at least). Given its opening day pace, Godzilla vs. Kong should be able to fly past Wonder Woman 1984, which holds the opening weekend record in the pandemic with $16.7 million. Fellow Warner Bros. release Tom and Jerry fared well earlier this year with $14 million, the biggest opening weekend for 2021, but it’s safe to say Warner Bros. will outdo themselves with the latest MonsterVerse film.
The domestic numbers come soon after the film reached a record-breaking $121.8 million overseas last weekend in 38 different markets. Godzilla vs. Kong is doing gangbusters, especially in China, where the movie debuted to $70 million a week before the film arrived to domestic theaters. The international numbers alone promise to make back the $165 million it cost to make the film. It should be noted that although the film is on HBO Max domestically with a 31-day window, other countries that don’t have the streaming service will look to the theaters as the best option.
On top of being the biggest blockbuster to hit theaters since March 2020, Godzilla vs. Kong’s positive word-of-mouth has helped fuel the impressive box office numbers. The film boasts an A Cinemascore from general audiences. Warner Bros. also touts strong numbers for premium formats, with Premium Large Formats (PLF) and IMAX making up 25% of the theater viewing experience.
Godzilla vs. Kong’s first-day numbers are impressive for even a pre-pandemic landscape. The previous entry in the franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, made $19.5 million domestic on opening day with twice the amount of theaters screening the film. When you take into account the film is also readily available on HBO Max at no additional cost (looking at you, Disney+), it appears the simultaneous theatrical and streaming release plan is persevering against all odds during the pandemic.
Godzilla vs. Kong is now available in theaters and on HBO Max.