‘Godzilla x Kong’ maintains box-office dominion in second weekend

NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” simply swatted away a pair of challengers to carry on to the highest spot on the field workplace for the second week in a row, in line with studio estimates Sunday.

After its above-expectations $80 million launch final weekend, the MonsterVerse mashup introduced in $31.7 million over its second weekend, a 60% drop from its debut. The Warner Bros. and Legendary Photos launch, directed by Adam Wingard, has to date outperformed any of the studio’s current monster movies apart from 2014’s “Godzilla.”

However with round $300 million worldwide in two weeks, “Godzilla x Kong” may finally leapfrog the $529 million world haul of 2014’s “Godzilla.” The newest installment, through which Godzilla and Kong group up, price about $135 million to provide.

“Godzilla x Kong” prolonged its box-office reign as one other primate-themed film arrived in theaters. Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man,” an India-set revenge thriller launched by Common Photos, opened in 3,029 North American theaters with an estimated $10.1 million.

That marked a powerful debut for Patel’s modestly budgeted directorial debut through which he stars in a bloody, politically charged motion extravaganza. “Monkey Man,” which price about $10 million to make, was dropped by its unique studio, Netflix, after which Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions swooped in.

The weekend’s different new extensive launch, “The First Omen,” from Disney’s twentieth Century Studios, struggled to make a huge impact with moviegoers. It got here in third with an estimated $8.4 million in ticket gross sales in 3,375 theaters, whereas amassing an extra $9.1 million abroad. The R-rated horror movie, which price about $30 million to make, is a prequel to the 1976 Richard Donner-directed unique starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.

This model, directed by Arkasha Stevenson and starring Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom and Invoice Nighy, follows 2006’s “The Omen,” which opened to $16 million and finally grossed $119 million.

The tepid opening for “The First Omen” allowed Sony’s “Ghosbusters: Frozen Empire” to take third place with $9 million in its third weekend of launch. The sci-fi comedy sequel has collected $88.8 million domestically and $138 million worldwide.

Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Half Two” continues to carry out strongly. It added $7.2 million in its sixth week, dipping simply 37%, to convey its home whole to $264 million.

One of many week’s largest performers was in China, the place Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning “The Boy and the Heron” landed in theaters. The acclaimed Japanese anime is setting information for a non-Chinese language animated movie. After opening Wednesday, its five-day whole surpassed $70 million, a brand new excessive mark for Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

Estimated ticket gross sales are for Friday by Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, in line with Comscore. Ultimate home figures will probably be launched Monday.

1. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $31.7 million.

2. “Monkey Man,” $10.1 million.

3. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $9 million.

4. “The First Omen,” $8.4 million.

5. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $7.9 million.

6. “Dune: Half Two,” $7.2 million.

7. “Somebody Like You,” $3 million.

8. “Depraved Little Letters,” $1.6 million.

9. “Arthur the King,” $1.5 million.

10. “Immaculate,” $1.4 million.

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Observe AP Movie Author Jake Coyle at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP