Godzilla vs. Kong set to make a “roar” at the box office

Godzilla vs. Kong created quite a “roar” in Chinese cinemas, stomping to the top of the local chart, and of course to kickstart the world box office post COVID-19 pandemic.

The Adam Wingard-directed picture is produced by Legendary Entertainment, a company owned by China’s Wanda property to entertainment concern. The film, according to Variety, is distributed by Lengendary within China, and by Warner Bros. in the rest of the world.

The flick, which pits two of cinemas most iconic monsters – the Godzilla and KingKong against each other, has already secured around $21.5 million during its opening day in the country. CNBC said the sequel is currently pacing just ahead of its predecessor Godzilla: King of Monsters, which earned a whopping $18 million in 2019 during its first day in theatres in China, ultimately garnering $66.7 million for the full weekend.

Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, said the film’s release is absolutely welcome news to the film industry, even with the streaming element in play domestically. “Overall, Asian markets have been strong drivers of this franchise’s box office prowess and China alone contributed roughly one-third of worldwide grosses on Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Analysts were optimistic that Godzilla vs. Kong could deliver strong results in China, as the country is currently the box office leader for ticket sales in 2021. Reports highlight that mainland Chinese cinemas reopened in July 2020, after nearly six months dark, and they have remained open, largely without interruption ever since.

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In the United States and UK, the film industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, leading to long-term closures of major theatres and the postponement of blockbuster films. Only recently did theatres in major cities like Los Angeles and New York City gain local permissions to reopen.