Godzilla isn’t just theKing of the Monstersthis weekend, the big guy is also poised to be the king of the box office, stomping his way to a $50 million domestic opening weekend.
Godzillais beating out fellow newcomersRocketmanandMa, which are looking at first frames of $22 million and $20 million, respectively. Disney’sAladdinis expected to gross $41 million in its second frame – a respectable number, but not enough to repeat as the box office champ.
Directed byMichael Dougherty,Godzilla: King of the Monsters' opening simply has to be seen as a disappointment afterGareth Edwards' 2014 franchise starter opened to $93.1 million, whileJordan Vogt-Roberts’Kong: Skull Islandgrossed $61 million in its first frame. For those keeping score at home, those numbers are trending the wrong way. Critics aren’t helping the cause, asKing of the Monstershas a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel is performing in line with expectations, albeit the lower end. Next week brings even more competition in the form ofDark PhoenixandThe Secret Life of Pets 2.
Having said that,Godzilla II: King of the Monsters, as it’s known overseas, is performing well at the international box office, opening in 75 markets this weekend, including China and Japan. The film claimed the top spot in Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong, doubled the openings of bothGodzillaandSkull Islandin Indonesia and Thailand, and is on pace to gross $18 million on Friday in China, surpassing the opening day results of similar films such asRampageandPacific Rim.
Also opening this weekend are theElton JohnbiopicRocketman, starringTaron Egertonas the iconic musician, and Blumhouse’s horror movieMastarringOctavia SpencerandDiana Silvers, who was just named Collider’sUp-and-Comer of the Month. Critics are largely falling forRocketman, which boasts a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While the subject matter is similar to that ofBohemian Rhapsody, and the two films do share a director inDexter Fletcher, theFreddie Mercurymovie opened to $50 million en route to becoming the highest-grossing drama of all time. Meanwhile,Mais performing right in line with other Blumhouse movies, which routinely open in the ballpark of $20 million, if not higher. Reviews have been mixed, but forMato challengeRocketmanfor third place on a much lower budget has to please Universal execs.
As for the holdovers,Aladdinis experiencing a steep drop of over 50%, having opened to $91.5 million over the three-day weekend ($116 million total for the four-day Memorial Day weekend), That’s not great, but the film did over-perform in its first frame, which balances the scales a bit. Lionsgate’sJohn Wick: Chapter 3will finish in fifth place with $10 million. The ultra-violent sequel has taken in $114 million stateside in just 17 days, which is more than both of its predecessors.
Elsewhere, it’ll be interesting to see whether positive word-of-mouth forOlivia Wilde’s directorial debutBooksmart, will lead to a stronghold for the coming-of-age comedy. The film’s solid reviews didn’t translate into dollars last weekend, but Annapurna kept its marketing spend low, which should help in the long run.
