The U.S. box office is back in action. Legendary and Warner Bros. tentpole Godzilla vs. Kong posted a monstrous debut of $48.5 million in its first five days, including an estimated $32.2 million from 3,064 theaters for the three-day Easter weekend.
The big-budget pic exceeded all expectations and is by far the biggest showing since the COVID-19 crisis commenced. Its performance is a huge jolt of confidence for nervous Hollywood studios and theater owners, who worry as to when moviegoing will recover in earnest and whether it is safe to begin releasing high-profile films as the summer box office season approaches. "I think a big movie like this working should tell everyone if we are rational in how we release a title, there is an appetite.