2024’s first quarter comes to a close in congruence with the Good Friday and Easter Sunday holiday frame as one major release and the prior month’s key holdovers drive box office revenues.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Warner Bros.
March 29, 2024 (WIDE)
Opening Weekend Range: $51M-$65M
WEEKEND PROS:
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is riding on the back of 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, which earned 91 percent audience and 76 percent critics scores on Rotten Tomatoes. It was the first significant tentpole-level box office of the pandemic era, with a $100.9 million domestic lifetime run.
- New Empire is currently pacing ahead of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in terms of pre-sales, according to various sources, fitting for a film that offers up the kind of escapist action fare that has done well on the big screen in recent times.
- With most schools closed and many adults off work on Friday, an extended weekend will offer the opportunity for moviegoing among families and other demographics. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Dune: Part Two, and Kung Fu Panda 4 should benefit as recent holdovers.
WEEKEND CONS:
- After a month filled with male-leaning films, New Empire could face a bit of a challenge in attracting its full potential audience. While Dune: Part Two enters its fifth frame and regains some IMAX footprint, the Ghostbusters sequel should still be a fair draw. The NCAA tournament will also remain a competitor for target audience attention.
- Furthermore, the review embargo for New Empire won’t drop until the day before release. While popcorn flicks are often somewhat immune to critics’ reactions, potential negative reception is still a factor to watch for with a franchise known to be front-loaded by monster genre fans.
Current projection ranges call for an 27% increase from the comparable weekend’s top ten aggregate of $91.8 million in 2023 and a 45% increase from 2019’s $80.2 million during the same calendar frames.
| Film | Studio | 3-Day Weekend Forecast | Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, March 31 | 3-Day % Change from Last Wknd |
| Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | Warner Bros. Pictures | $62,000,000 | $62,000,000 | NEW |
| Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | Sony / Columbia | $18,500,000 | $74,900,000 | -59% |
| Kung Fu Panda 4 | Universal Pictures | $13,300,000 | $154,500,000 | -19% |
| Dune: Part Two | Warner Bros. Pictures | $12,300,000 | $253,400,000 | -30% |
| Arthur the King | Lionsgate | $2,700,000 | $19,500,000 | -37% |
All forecasts are subject to revision/finalization before the first confirmation of opening previews or Friday estimates from studios or official sources.
Theater counts are either studio estimates OR unofficial projections if preceded by “~”.
The above table does not necessarily represent exact ranking as some studios do not finalize weekend location counts and/or an intent to report box office returns prior to publishing.
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