By @HolocronJosh for @FilmCodex
Warner Bros.’ ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ opened to record pandemic numbers last weekend, both domestically and internationally. One week later, the latest in the Monsterverse franchise had another solid showing at the box office, taking in $13.3 million domestically, a drop off of 58%. This takes the domestic tally to $69.5 million.
What makes this showing even more impressive, beyond the fact that pandemic cases are rising and could lead to more hesitancy around returning to theaters, is the fact that GvK is available to watch HBO Max. Despite that availability, many audiences are still opting to go to the theater, a good sign for cinemas returning to normal soon.
The film added another $24.1 million to its tally overseas, a drop off of 66%. The biggest of the international markets was, once again, China, with another $12.9 million this weekend and a total gross of $165.4 million. Once again, the film was also very popular in Australia, Mexico, and Russia, with $16 million, $15.8 million, and $11.1 million respectively.
Elsewhere, ‘Mortal Kombat’ debuted in some international markets over the weekend. The latest Warner Bros. film, which comes out on April 23 in theaters and HBO Max domestically, earned $10.7 million from 4,596 theaters. The biggest of the 17 overseas markets was Russia, where the film took in $6.1 million.
Back to the domestic box office, Universal’s ‘Nobody’ came in second again this weekend with $2.65 million. Rounding out the top 5 are ‘The Unholy’, ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’, and ‘Voyagers’, earning $2.4 million, 2.14 million, and $1.35 million respectively.
When looking at the growth of the domestic box office in recent weeks, as demonstrated by these numbers this weekend, there is hope that Mortal Kombat could have a strong debut. The film certainly has the potential to be the latest sign that the domestic box office, and movie going, is returning to some sort of normalcy. However, the film’s simultaneous release on HBO Max gives viewers the option to watch the latest video game adaptation from home, a smart move given everything that’s happening at this moment.
Stay tuned to Film Codex for next week’s box office numbers, as well as news, reviews, interviews, and more.
Images Courtesy of Warner Bros.