Here’s some titanic news to scream about: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has stomped, smashed, and roared its way to the top, officially becoming the highest-grossing movie in the Legendary and Warner Bros MonsterVerse franchise. With a monstrous $570 million raked in worldwide, this beast has outperformed even the mighty Kong: Skull Island, which previously held the throne with $568.6 million.
Breaking it down, The New Empire roared to $373.7 million abroad and $196.3 million domestically. The colossal achievement means it’s now the king of the MonsterVerse jungle in 35 markets, including Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the UAE. Hats off to Warner Bros’ marketing maestros and their global distribution team for this titanic triumph. Initially, The New Empire was expected to make a modest $45 million over Easter weekend, but it smashed expectations with an $80 million domestic haul, roaring to $194 million worldwide.
Just How Successful Is ‘Godzilla x Kong’?
Directed by Adam Wingard, his second foray into the MonsterVerse after 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong ($470.1 million worldwide), The New Empire is currently the second highest-grossing Hollywood movie of 2024, trailing only Dune: Part Two ($711.8 million). For anyone thinking moviegoing is dead, guess again — it just hinges on an intriguing product, and this monster mash, even in its quiet moments, was a scream for audiences. Domestically, 2014’s Godzilla remains the reigning champ with $200.6 million, but The New Empire is hot on its tail with $196.3 million. On the international front, it’s the second-best performer after Kong: Skull Island’s $400.6 million.
Despite China’s post-COVID box office being as friendly as a rampaging kaiju, The New Empire managed to claw its way to $132.4 million, making it the highest-grossing territory for the film outside the US. It ranks fourth in China among MonsterVerse films, trailing Godzilla vs. Kong ($188.7 million), Kong: Skull Island ($168.1 million), and Godzilla: King of the Monsters ($135.4 million). Other top-grossing territories for The New Empire include Mexico ($33.7 million), the UK ($18.1 million), France ($12.4 million), Australia ($12.3 million), Japan ($10.8 million), Indonesia ($9.2 million), Brazil ($8.4 million), Taiwan ($7.7 million), Germany ($7.1 million), and Spain ($6.8 million).
With a reported production budget of $135 million before P&A, 75% funded by Legendary, and 25% by Warner Bros, per Deadline, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has proven to be a colossal success. The film sees the two titanic icons teaming up to eliminate a world-threatening danger from the Hollow Earth below, a plot that has clearly resonated with fans worldwide. These titans have just smashed the notion that moviegoing is dead to pieces.
via Collider