A still image from Warner Bros. “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
Source: Warner Bros.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” was $ 9.6 million on the opening night. This was the best debut for any film released during the Covid health crisis and signaled a turning point for pandemic-hit cinemas.
The Warner Bros. movie was shown in 2,409 locations on Wednesday and will be expanded to 3,064 locations by Friday. Friday is also the first time that around 500 Regal locations will be reopened to the public since October, when the company closed locations due to the ongoing pandemic.
According to Comscore, around 3,066 theaters were open in North America last weekend. That’s just a small fraction of the 3,469 that were open on the weekend of September 18 last year, which marked the highest number of open theaters during the pandemic.
As vaccination rates continue to rise and studios continue to trigger big blockbusters, theater operators are hoping that more theaters can open and capacity restrictions lifted. Most theaters in Germany are currently allowed to be 50% full.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” was released internationally over the weekend and grossed more than $ 121 million at the global box office ahead of its domestic debut on Wednesday. Around $ 70 million of this was brought in from China, where theaters are open for 75% of the audience.