'Godzilla vs. Kong' Rakes Record-Breaking Domestic Sales Following International Success Amid Pandemic
Following "Godzilla vs. Kong" international success, the movie made another record domestically.
This week, the epic monster movie reached the American cinemas again after experiencing closures due to the health crisis.
Despite that, Legendary Entertainment's movie took the worries away and rake millions during its debut.
"Godzilla vs. Kong" Wows Domestic Theaters
The New York Times estimated that the film garnered over $48.5 million box office sales from over 3,064 North American cinemas from March 31 to April 4 alone.
The number makes "Godzilla vs. Kong" the only movie to ever reach the turnout since the pandemic.
Meanwhile, it is also made available on HBO Max for a lesser price compared to the cost of one adult ticket.
The Legendary's vice chairman and head of worldwide production Mary Parent revealed the one reason why the film immediately became a hit.
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"People seem ready for emotional release, to experience that human connectivity - laughing together, getting scared together - and complete transportation that only movie theaters can provide," she told the news outlet.
The $48.5 million box office sales overshot what was expected, especially since it hit the number despite the cinemas' limited capacity.
For what it's worth, 93 percent of theaters across the United States are already open. However, the government protocols amid the pandemic only approve 50 percent capacity.
"Godzilla vs. Kong" Current Sales
As soon as it hit the foreign big screens, the Legendary and Warner Bros.' film garnered $121.8 million total foreign box office collection.
It beat Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" on the first spot which initially has $53 million.
Around $70.3 million of the debut sales came from China where Legendary is responsible for distributing the film. Meanwhile, it also raked millions in other countries including Russia ($5.8 million), Australia ($6.3 million), and Taiwan ($5.2 million).
Two weeks later, the film already has a total of $385 million in sales - $236 million of which came outside the US.
The amount can be considered whopping already, most especially the key markets are still yet to release the film in their countries.
According to the president of domestic distribution for producer Warner Bros, Jeff Goldstein, the sales clearly state that people are already ready to go back to theaters.
"The numbers don't lie - it's clear that wherever audiences are ready to safely return to the theatre, they have, and we're thrilled with the results," he said, as quoted by BBC.
Furthermore, over 1,000 showings on IMAX are marked as sold-out.
