Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Defies Expectations With $80 Million U.S. Launch

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has done it. In the weeks leading up to its debut, the MonsterVerse movie drummed up plenty of hype, but no one saw how well the franchise's newest entry would do upon launch. After all, the numbers are in, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire defied predictions with a solid $80 million opening domestically.

The information comes from Variety as the trade broke down the performance of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. After the movie launched in nearly 3,900 theaters in North America, the domestic box office raked in $80 million for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. This total is a huge step up from predictions as experts believed the movie would earn between $50-55 million domestically in its opening weekend.

Of course, those predictions fell flat as Adam Wingard's new MonsterVerse movie rose above. With this number under food, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has the second-highest debut of the MonsterVerse following Godzilla (2014) which earned $93 million. The new movie nearly dethroned a major win by Dune: Part Two as well. The MonsterVerse entry earned its spot as the second-highest grossing domestic opening this year behind Dune: Part Two and its $82.5 million launch.

As you can imagine, this new box office rundown has fans and industry experts on a high. The MonsterVerse has now grossed more than $2 billion USD since it launched a decade ago. With a production budget of $135 million, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is well on its way to profit as this $80 million launch is just domestic. The MonsterVerse movie launched in theaters globally this weekend, and given the franchise's sway internationally, experts expect Wingard's sequel to rake in cash pronto.

If you have not seen Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the movie is now in theaters. As for the rest of the MonsterVerse, you can check out its previous installments on Max. Plus, Apple TV+ has exclusive access to the franchise's first live-action TV series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

What do you think about this update on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire? Have you seen the blockbuster yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!