Not only does “Godzilla’s” overperformance skew the Memorial Day lead-in slump, it also blows away the “Godzilla” B.O. curse set nearly 16 years ago with Sony’s same-titled monster remake. Warner and Legendary’s version, meanwhile, which cost $160 million to produce, entered its theatrical blowout with positive critical reviews and strong audience interest. Pic scored a solid (though not glowing) ‘B+’ CinemaScore.
“Godzilla” led the domestic B.O. to a 17% increase over the same frame last year, when Paramount’s “Star Trek Into Darkness” scored a boffo $70 million opening.
Holdovers including Universal’s “Neighbors” and Sony’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” which estimated $26 million and $16.8 million, respectively, also helped move the needle this weekend. “Neighbors” reached $91.5 million through Sunday; “Spider-Man” surpassed $172 million Stateside.
Also, Disney’s inspirational sports drama “Million Dollar Arm,” starring Jon Hamm, fell in line with expectations, grossing a projected $11 million in three days. The film cost just $25 million to produce and should leg out nicely given its strong ‘A-’ rating with domestic auds.