UPDATE: Updated numbers confirm Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire scored $10 million in previews, a franchise-best for the MonsterVerse!
Madame Web might have flopped, but it's been a successful start to the year for other genres, including movies like Dune: Part Two and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Now, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is rampaging into theaters across the globe and, according to Deadline, it's off to a strong start in North America with an estimated $8 million haul from Thursday previews which started at 3pm.
That's the second-best Thursday for a MonsterVerse movie and is beaten only by the $9.3 million earned by Gareth Edwards' Godzilla. The 2014 movie would go on to make $93.1 million during its opening weekend, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire may well exceed the estimated $50 million debut we first heard about earlier this week.
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Unfortunately, things aren't looking quite so positive over on Rotten Tomatoes. After debuting with a "Fresh" score, the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel has since slipped to a "Rotten" 55%.
That makes Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire the second worst-reviewed MonsterVerse movie and places it in front of Godzilla: King of the Monsters' 42%. Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla, and Godzilla vs. Kong all have 76%, though Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (an Apple TV+ series) beats them all with a mighty 89%.
Will bad reviews put people off? Probably not. However, it might not hurt for the next movie to enlist a new director with a fresh take on these Titans.
Are you heading to theaters to watch Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire this weekend?
The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures' cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of 'Godzilla vs. Kong' with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire stars returning Godzilla vs. Kong actors Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle alongside Dan Stevens (Legion), Alex Ferns (The Batman), and Fala Chen (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
The screenplay is by Terry Rossio (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Simon Barrett (You’re Next) and Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), from a story by Rossio & Wingard & Barrett, based on the character "Godzilla" owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now playing in theaters.