New York (AP) “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” easily held off a pair of challengers to hold the top spot at the box office for the second week in a row, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
after this Last weekend opened above expectations of $80 million., the MonsterVerse mashup grossed $31.7 million in its second weekend, a 60% drop from its debut. The Warner Bros. And the Legendary Pictures release, directed by Adam Wingard, has thus far surpassed any of the studio’s recent monster movies aside from 2014’s “Godzilla.”
But with $361.1 million worldwide in two weeks, “Godzilla x Kong” may finally leapfrog 2014’s “Godzilla”‘s $529 million global tally. The latest installment, which teams up with Godzilla and Kong, cost around $135 million to produce.
“Godzilla x Kong” extends its box office run as another primate-themed film hits theaters. Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man,” The India-set revenge thriller, released by Universal Pictures, grossed an estimated $10.1 million in 3,029 North American theaters.
It marked a strong debut. Patel’s modest budget directorial debut In which he stars in a bloody, politically charged action extravaganza. “Monkey Man,” which cost about $10 million to make, was dropped by its original studio Netflix, which was then snapped up by Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions.
The second new wide release of the weekend, “The First Omen” From Disney’s 20th Century Studios, the film struggled to make a big impact with audiences. It came in fourth with an estimated $8.4 million in ticket sales at 3,375 theaters, while collecting an additional $9.1 million overseas. The R-rated horror film, which cost around $30 million to make, is a prequel to the 1976 original directed by Richard Donner starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.
The version, directed by Arksha Stevenson and starring Neil Tiger Free, Tawfiq Barhoum and Bill Nighy, follows 2006’s “The Omen,” which opened to $16 million and eventually grossed $119 million.
A strong opening for “The First Omen” allowed Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” to take third place with $9 million in its third weekend of release. The sci-fi comedy sequel has grossed $88.8 million domestically and $138 million worldwide.
Warner Bros “Devon: Part Two” Continued strong performance. It added $7.2 million in its sixth week, down just 37%, bringing its domestic total to $264 million.
One of the biggest performers of the week was in China, where Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning “The Boy and the Heron” Hit the theaters. The popular Japanese anime is setting records for a non-Chinese animated film. After opening on Wednesday, its five-day total crossed $70 million, a new high for Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
According to Comscore, anticipated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters are Friday through Sunday. Final domestic data will be released on Monday.
1. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $31.7 million.
2. “Monkey Man,” $10.1 million.
3. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $9 million.
4. “The First Omen,” $8.4 million.
5. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $7.9 million.
6. “Deon: Part Two,” $7.2 million.
7. “Someone Like You,” $3 million.
8. “Wicked Little Letters,” $1.6 million.
9. “King Arthur,” $1.5 million.
10. “Flawless,” $1.4 million.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Credit : apnews.com