Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has created an entry of the MonsterVerse that sees the king of the monsters and Skull Island’s biggest ape teaming up to fight against new threats from the Hollow Earth. Instead of recreating traditional kaiju from Toho’s past, Legendary and director Adam Wingard created two new giant beasts in Skar King and Shimo. Luckily, the new effort has been a hit with kaiju fans and moviegoers as the latest MonsterVerse film aims to have the biggest weekend of any kaiju film.
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In its preview night, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire brought in $10 Million USD, becoming the biggest opening foray for the MonsterVerse. Recent months have been a golden era for kaiju fans not only thanks to this crossover sequel, but thanks to other projects featuring the king of the monsters. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters became the biggest television series for Apple TV+, and while not confirmed for a season two as of yet, the series did give kaiju fans a much closer look into the MonsterVerse. In the East, Japan released Godzilla Minus One, creating a new take on the lizard king that received an Academy Award for “Best Visual Effects”. Much like Monarch, Godzilla Minus One has yet to confirm if a follow-up is on the way.
The New Empire is Storming Toward a Big Opening Weekend
As it stands, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has brought in $37 Million USD for its opening day, which includes the $10 Million USD it made during its preview night. This first day’s tally means that the latest chapter of the MonsterVerse is set to blow past original estimates for its opening weekend, potentially bringing in tens of millions more than originally expected. While nothing has been confirmed for the MonsterVerse’s future, this is good news for kaiju fans hoping to see this kaiju universe continue.
In our review of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, we documented how this new film is quite the departure from the film that started the MonsterVerse in 2014’s Godzilla, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire begins with perhaps the hardest pivot possible from 2014’s Godzilla, the start of Legendary’s MonsterVerse. While Gareth Edwards’ kaiju epic built up to Godzilla using his atomic breath in a moment that forced the audience to wait on the edge of their seat to marvel at its power, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire makes sure to have him deploy the ability within minutes of the film starting, killing another Titan in a shower of green goo like it’s powered by Nickelodeon’s trademark slime. In that moment, which occurs just before the title card, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire wastes no time to make sure audiences are well aware that this movie is not that movie, and it knows exactly why you are here.”
