‘Godzilla X Kong’ is Hollywood’s best opening of 2024
“Anatomy of a Fall” also has a top five debut in the Middle Kingdom.
Legendary Entertainment’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” had the best opening in China of any Hollywood film this year.
The film grossed $44.6 million (317 million Chinese yuan) in cinemas on the Chinese mainland between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consulting firm Artisan Gateway. That represented nearly 70% of the weekend’s box office in the country.
Nationwide, movie theaters generated $64.1 million in revenue, a big jump from the $39.5 million they earned the previous weekend. The total was the third-highest this year and was not driven by Lunar New Year holiday titles.
The opening was smaller than May 2019’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” which had a $2.5 million preview weekend, opened to $66 million and grossed $133 million. But Hollywood films have struggled to reach these heights in China since 2020.
The healthy performance of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” was the fourth-largest ever in Hollywood in the post-pandemic era. The two biggest films, Avatar: The Way of Water and Fast X, earned $52 million in December 2022 and $51 million in June 2023, respectively.
Imax reported that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire grossed $7.5 million on screens in China, representing approximately 17% of its Chinese weekend revenue.
“Kung Fu Panda 4” fell one spot to second place in its second weekend. It earned $5.8 million, down 60% from its opening frame. After ten days in Chinese cinemas, “Kung Fu Panda 4” has grossed $34.5 million.
“Viva La Vida,” a Chinese film that was pulled from release during the Lunar New Year holiday season in February, returned to theaters in previews last week and finally got an official re-release on Saturday (most films in China are released on Fridays). It made $4.3. Million dollars from Saturday and Sunday shows. Including its previous earnings, the film finished the weekend with a cumulative $22.3 million.
“The Pig, The Snake and the Pigeon,” which previously topped the chart, earned $2.9 million over its final weekend. This gives it a cumulative total of $90.6 million.
The 2023 Cannes award-winning French art film “Anatomy of a Fall” opened in fifth place with $1.5 million (RMB 10.7 million).
Its box office haul in China so far is $2.32 billion according to Artisan Gateway. That compares to $1.47 billion so far this year, according to ComScore.
