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The tentpole, from Warner Bros. and Legendary
Entertainment, generated $32 million over the weekend and $48.5
million in its first five days of release. That's easily the
biggest debut since coronavirus hit. Prior to this weekend,
"Wonder Woman 1984" had the biggest three-day start with $16.7
million, followed by "Tom and Jerry" with $14 million.
The results for "Godzilla vs. Kong" are especially impressive
because the film is also available to HBO Max subscribers for no
extra fee. It's unclear how many people have streamed the movie.
David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise
Entertainment Research, called opening weekend ticket sales
"strong" given the "still-difficult conditions." More than 50%
of movie theaters in the country have reopened, but many --
including those in New York City and Los Angeles -- have been
operating at reduced capacity to comply with pandemic safety
protocols.
"While it's half of what it would be under normal circumstances,
the weekend is a clear and positive indication that moviegoing
has inherent strengths that aren't going away," he said.
Though ticket sales for "Godzilla vs. Kong" are certainly
encouraging, the U.S. box office has yet to fully recover from
the yearlong shutdown.
"Godzilla vs. Kong" wasn't this weekend's only new release. Sony
Pictures' horror film "The Unholy" pulled in $3.2 million from
1,850 locations, a modest start for the low-budget movie. It
narrowly beat out Universal's action thriller "Nobody" for third
place on box office charts. "Nobody," starring Bob Odenkirk as a
mild-mannered father-turned-vigilante, earned $3 million in its
second weekend, boosting its domestic tally to $11.8 million.
In fourth, Disney's animated adventure "Raya and the Last
Dragon" made $2 million from 2,031 locations. The film, which is
also playing on Disney Plus for a premium $30 fee, has grossed
$32 million at the domestic box office.
"Tom and Jerry" rounded out the top five, amassing $1.5 million
in its sixth weekend in theaters. To date, the movie has made
$39.5 million in the U.S. It's also available on HBO Max.
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