The New Empire Falls Short of Two Box Office Milestones

The Big Picture

• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire falls just short of beating previous MonsterVerse films domestically and globally.
• Its predecessor, Godzilla vs. Kong , was the first blockbuster of the pandemic era, grossing over $470 million worldwide.
• Despite mixed reviews, Godzilla x Kong garnered positive audience feedback and a sequel is in development.

Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now gearing up to conclude its blockbuster theatrical run. But despite its unexpectedly resounding success at the global box office, the film is falling tragically short of two major milestones. Godzilla x Kong is currently the second-biggest film of the MonsterVerse franchise both domestically and worldwide, and as things stand, this is where it might remain.

With $195 million domestically and another $369 million from overseas markets, Godzilla x Kong has generated a cumulative global haul of $564 million. This means that the action-packed kaiju sequel is just $6 million shy of overtaking the 2014 Godzilla and just $4 million short of overtaking 2017’s Kong: Skull Island as the MonsterVerse’s biggest domestic and global hit, respectively. Godzilla x Kong remains the year’s second-biggest release, behind Dune: Part Two and ahead of Kung Fu Panda 4.

The movie grossed $80 million in its domestic opening weekend, ranking second for the year and second in the history of the MonsterVerse. It eventually overtook fellow franchise releases such as Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla, and Godzilla vs. Kong at the global box office. The MonsterVerse has grossed a combined total of nearly $2.5 billion worldwide, and appeared to be on the verge of extinction before director Adam Wingard injected fresh energy into it with 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong.

The MonsterVerse Has Grossed Nearly $2.5 Billion Worldwide

Godzilla vs. Kong debuted in the middle of the pandemic, and was released day-and-date on the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max, as a part of W.B.’s controversial 2021 release strategy. But despite the simultaneous streaming release, Godzilla vs. Kong went on to gross over $100 million domestically, nearly $190 million in China, and over $470 million worldwide. It was the first blockbuster of the pandemic era. But in the years since, China’s relevance has vastly declined when it comes to Hollywood exports, and Legendary seemingly took this into consideration and restricted Godzilla x Kong’s budget to below $150 million. Also directed by Wingard, it’s the cheapest installment of the series, but also among its least well-reviewed.

Godzilla x Kong holds a 54% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, but audience response has been infinitely more encouraging. The movie has a 91% audience score on RT, in addition to the A- CinemaScore that it earned from opening day crowds. These are the main reasons why it performed like a summer blockbuster despite having debuted in March, while actual summer releases struggle. A sequel is in development, but without Wingard at the helm. You can watch Godzilla x Kong in theaters and at home, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Kong and the fearsome Godzilla face off against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own.

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