Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures unleashed the Titans this weekend with the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the latest chapter of the shared MonsterVerse debuting the $179 million worldwide.
Domestically, King of the Monsters earned $49 million to dethrone Aladdin and claim top spot, although its opening weekend was down significantly from 2014’s Godzilla ($93 million), along with 2017’s Kong: Skull Island ($61 million).
The MonsterVerse franchise may be suffering diminishing returns in North America, but it’s the opposite in the international markets, with the sequel earning $130 million overseas this weekend compared to Godzilla’s $103 million and Kong: Skull Island’s $81.6 million.
Next up for the franchise is the 2020 crossover Godzilla vs. Kong, which received its first official promotional artwork this past week.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters sees Michael Dougherty (Krampus) directing returning Godzilla stars Sally Hawkins (Dr. Vivienne Graham) and Ken Watanabe (Dr. Ishiro Serizawa), and new additions Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel), Aisha Hinds (Star Trek Into Darkness), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Zhang Ziyi (The Grandmaster), Randy Havens (Stranger Things) and Elizabeth Ludlow (The Walking Dead).