'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' has smashed competition with a massive $80 million haul in ticket sales during its opening weekend at the North American box office, Exhibitor Relations, a trade watcher, reports.
With ticket sales 2.5 times higher than the typical for a monster movie sequel, analyst David A. Gross declared, "The final numbers may change by Monday, but whatever they are, this is a fantastic opening."
In the most recent MonsterVerse film, the massive gorilla and reptilian giant put their differences aside and worked together to save both their species and humans.
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," co-written by Jason Reitman, whose father Ivan Reitman directed the first "Ghostbusters" in 1984, came in second with an estimated $15.7 million.
In the movie, veterans Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson team up with a new group of ghost hunters (Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon) to take on a terrifying god who is attempting to usher in a new Ice Age.
"Dune: Part Two," a science fiction epic from Warner Bros. about war and survival on an uninhabitable planet covered in sand, came in third place, with an estimated $11.1 million during the Friday through Sunday weekend.
"Kung Fu Panda 4," a martial arts comedy from Universal and DreamWorks Animation, came in fourth place with $10.2 million, down one spot from the previous weekend.
Sydney Sweeney stars in "Immaculate," a new psychological horror film from independent studio Neon that came in fifth place with a total of $3.3 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Tillu Square" ($2.5 million)
"Arthur the King" ($2.4 million)
"Late Night With the Devil" ($2.2 million)
"Crew" ($1.7 million)
"Imaginary" ($1.4 million)
