Hollywood studios are cheering after the new film “Godzilla vs. Kong” had a strong opening weekend at the global box office.
The Warner Bros. movie (Warner is a brand of AT&T, NYSE:T), which received mixed reviews from critics, had the best opening weekend for a movie since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown theatres a year ago. Godzilla vs. Kong raked up $32.2 million U.S. in domestic ticket receipts between Friday and Sunday. The film, which was released last Wednesday, has how earned $48.5 million U.S. in America and Canada.
Internationally, Godzilla vs. Kong added an additional $71.6 million U.S. to its box office tally. Since opening last Wednesday, the film has earned a total of $285.4 million U.S.
Godzilla vs. Kong opened in more than 3,000 theaters in North America, the most of any film during the pandemic era. In addition to posting the largest opening weekend since the coronavirus pandemic began, the film also had the largest opening day on Wednesday with $9.6 million U.S. and the largest single day on Saturday with a $12.5 million U.S. haul.
Over the weekend, only 55% of theaters were open in North America, compared to the total open in 2019, according to data from Comscore, which tracks box office receipts. And most cinemas are currently operating at 50% capacity.
A debate is currently raging over whether film studios will continue to release movies in theatres or make them available directly to streaming platforms that have grown in popularity during the pandemic. Godzilla vs. Kong was released simultaneously in movie theatres and on the HBO Max streaming platform.