Godzilla: King of the Monsters stomped into theaters in the number one slot this weekend earning $49 million in the U.S. and $130 million across the world for its debut weekend. Meanwhile Rocketman and Ma both exceeded expectations and Avengers: Endgame is ever closer to the top-earning film of all time.
Despite being king of the box office for its debut weekend, at an estimated $49 million take, Warner Brothers’ Godzilla remake did not quite earn the $55 million the studio expected to pull in for its three-day premier, Box Office Mojo reported.
The final weekend earning is a major disappointment compared to its brother film, 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, which earned $61 million, not to mention the $93.2 million the 2014 Godzilla reboot earned during its opening weekend.
The monster film’s earning is a bit brighter when reviewing the overseas take which figures in at an estimated $130 million. Its strongest overseas box office was seen in China where the nuclear-powered kaiju earned $70 million.
But with a price tag of $200 million before promotional costs, Godzilla: King of the Monsters has a very long way to go to earn back costs.
For its second weekend in theaters, Disney’s Aladdin proved able to retain its box office staying power by riding its magic carpet to the second spot for another estimated $42.3 million in ticket sales. This weekend’s take will contribute to its $446 million global earnings.
The live-action musical has now surpassed recent similar fare such as Mary Poppins Returns ($349 million) and Dumbo ($349 million), according to Variety.
Paramount’s Elton John biopic, Rocketman, struck a chord with an estimated $25 million for its debut weekend, well ahead of the $30 million studios expected to pull in. The film featuring graphic gay sex scenes earned high marks from both critics and audiences and handily earned its third-place box office showing.
At number four, the Blumhouse shocker, Ma, scared up an estimated $18.2 million for its debut weekend, easily earning back its $5 million production costs while exceeding the $17 million expected earnings.
Finally, still sticking in the top five, Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 3 brought in another $11.1 million domestically bringing its total thus far to more than $125 million at home. The actioner’s global tally sits at $221 million, making it the biggest Wick film of the trilogy.
Also of note, the final installment in Marvel’s superhero epic, Avengers: Endgame, is creeping ever closer to the big record of top-earning film of all time. With another $8.6 million thrust into its deep pockets, bringing its total to $2.713 billion worldwide, the Iron Man opus is only about $75 million behind Avatar as the top-earning film of all time.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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