A monster rematch and a bamboo-wielding panda bear delivered a one-two punch to rule the Easter weekend box office, with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Kung Fu Panda 4 taking in a combined total of almost $9 million.
According to data provided by Numero, Warner Bros. Queensland-shot Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire reigned supreme, bowing with $5.6 million from 505 screens for a strong screen average of $11,092 per session. The figure is below its predecessor, 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong, which amassed $7.7 million in its opening weekend, albeit from 557 screens.
Adam Wingard’s newest installment in the MonsterVerse franchise delves further into the histories of Godzilla and Kong and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these beings and tied them to humankind forever.
The behemoth battle made its presence felt stateside, raking in US$80 million to go along with US$114 million from 64 international markets.
Universal’s Kung Fu Panda franchise proved it can still hold its own in Australia, with the fourth installment debuting with $3.4 million from 491 screens for an average of $6,878 per session and a total of $5.4 million with previews.
The top-ranking new releases helped the Australian box office top 20 reach $15.4 million, representing an increase of more than 50 per cent from the previous reporting period.
Last week’s number one, Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, managed $1.9 million from its second frame – a 36 per cent decline – to move past $5.5 million overall.
Warner Bros. Dune: Part Two added another $1.8 million in its fifth weekend of release to move to just under $30 million. Studiocanal’s Wicked Little Letters ranked among the top five, drawing $672,348 from its second outing – a 12 per cent decrease – to cross the $2 million mark.
Roadshow’s Force of the Nature: The Dry 2 was the best of the Australian releases with $18,739 from its eighth frame for an overall total of $7.3 million, while VAM Paddock Productions’ Just A Farmer took in $15,098 in its second outing to move to $83,304.
There was more good news for Colin and Cameron Cairnes’ Late Night with the Devil ahead of its Australian release via Maslow Entertainment this month, with the film making US$2.2 million on 1,442 US screens in its second week of release in the US for a cumulative total of US$6.2 million.
It comes after the demonic found footage horror broke the US domestic box office record for IFC Films in its opening weekend with US$2.8 million for 1,043 screens.
All Australian box office is via Numero.