“Godzilla” has begun its box office rampage with a powerful $9.3 million haul from Thursday night showings.
The remake of the iconic monster movie, a co-production of Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., got an early start with shows that began at 7 p.m. in roughly 3,000 theaters. As of Friday, it will be in 3,952 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, and will roll out in 64 foreign markets as well this weekend.
The Thursday night total for “Godzilla” is higher than that of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” which took in $8.7 million earlier this month as it headed to a $91 million three-day debut. And it isn’t far off the $10.2 million that “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” put up on its way to a $95 million opening weekend in April. The opening was the year’s biggest.
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Analysts predict a three-day total take in the $65 million-$70 million range for “Godzilla,” and expect the Gareth Edwards-directed 3D epic to easily displace last week’s No. 1 film, “Neighbors.” The weekend’s other wide opener, Disney’s Jon Hamm baseball movie “Million Dollar Arm,” will be in 3,019 theaters and is expected to debut in the $10 million range.
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, David Strathairn and Ken Watanabe star in “Godzilla,” which is off to a fast start overseas. It’s already opened No. 1 in seven foreign territories, including France.