'Godzilla vs. Kong' Has Giant International Debut
by EG
International audiences showed that they are ready to go back to theaters if the movie they're seeing is monumental enough. Godzilla vs. Kong opened in international markets this weekend, and it scored the most lucrative debut of any pandemic movie so far. The blockbuster opens in US theaters and on HBO Max this week. Read on for details.
Godzilla vs. Kong opened to a pandemic-best $121.8 million at the foreign box office, giving Hollywood hope that tentpoles can make a comeback as theaters reopen.
Christopher Nolan's Tenet previously had the biggest offshore start of the pandemic with $53 million.
Legendary and Warner Bros.' monster mashup enjoyed an especially loud roar in China, where it grossed a huge $70.3 million. Legendary has sole distribution and marketing duties in the Middle Kingdom, while Warners is handling everywhere else.
It also did strong business in Mexico, Australia and Russia. Overall, it performed on par with Kong: Skull Island and well ahead of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
GVK launched in a total of 39 markets, although the film doesn't open in Japan, home of Godzilla, until May. Imax theaters generated $12.4 million in ticket sales, its best opening weekend showing since December 2019.
The tentpole launches in North America on March 31 (a Wednesday).
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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