WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Nobody Battles Its Way to #1 w/ $6.7M Opening, Godzilla vs. Kong Spews Fire w/ $121.8M Overseas

Images Courtesy of Universal Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures

With the rollout of vaccines continuing at a robust pace across the U.S. and more and more theaters opening their doors to the public, this weekend was one of the most robust of the pandemic to date. But perhaps the real story of the weekend happened overseas, where Godzilla vs. Kong exploded onto the scene with a terrific $121.8 million debut.

Coming out ahead of the pack in North America was the freshly-released action-thriller Nobody, which debuted at No. 1 with an estimated $6.7 million from 2,460 locations, good for a per-theater average of $2,724. That total is roughly in line with pre-release expectations, with Boxoffice Pro’s own forecast estimating an opening gross anywhere between $4 million and $9 million heading into the weekend.

The Universal release, which stars Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk as a man who runs afoul of a drug kingpin, was boosted by largely positive critical reviews (it currently has a 79% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes), a robust following on social media platforms and presumably strong word-of-mouth, with a Cinemascore of A- and a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 94% from over 500 ratings.

It also helped that Nobody’s marketing campaign was strongly geared toward adult males, who have been a relatively reliable demo during the pandemic after turning out for films such as The Marksman, Honest Thief and Unhinged. Indeed, the opening-weekend audience was 62% male and 73% 25 and older.

Dipping to second place in its fourth weekend of release was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, which took in an estimated $3.5 million from 2,212 locations after topping the box office three weekends in a row. The critically-acclaimed animated title now stands at $28.39 million.

Tom & Jerry finished in third place with an estimated $2.51 million from 2,464 locations, a drop of 34% from last weekend. The animated/live-action hybrid has $37.07 million to date.

Lionsgate’s Chaos Walking finished in fourth with an estimated $1.19 million from 2,036 locations, a drop of 38% from last weekend’s take. The YA sci-fi title has $11.47 million to date.

At No. 5 was Roadside’s The Courier, which took in an estimated $1.04 million in its sophomore weekend. The Benedict Cumberbatch thriller now stands at $3.48 million.

OVERSEAS

Marking perhaps the most dramatic shift toward relative normalcy at the global box office since the pandemic began, Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong erupted with a sizzling $121.8 million in 38 markets. The studio reports that the film’s opening was on par with Kong: Skull Island and came in 11% ahead of Godzilla: King of the Monsters and 57% ahead of 2014’s Godzilla. Nearly 10% of that total came from the IMAX format, where the film brought in $12.4 million from 891 screens worldwide.

In China, <em>Godzilla vs. Kong</em> accounted for an 82% share of the market in the country, where it opened to a massive $70.3 million ($9.4 million of which came from IMAX screens). The film also opened with $6.3 million in both Mexico and Australia, $5.8 million in Russia, $5.2 million in Taiwan and $4.8 million in India. Originally slated to open in North America in March 2020 before being delayed due to the pandemic, the tentpole is slated to debut in select theaters domestically and on HBO Max on Wednesday, March 31.

Raya and the Last Dragon brought in an estimated $3.9 million from 28 territories, bringing its international total to $54.2 million and its global sum to $82.6 million. The top markets for the Disney release are China ($18.7 million) and Russia ($10.9 million).

The Avatar re-release brought in an estimated $3.5 million in China, where its total now stands at $51.7 million (not counting the film’s original run in the country).

Tom & Jerry grossed an estimated $2.7 million from 42 markets, lifting its international total to $48.3 million and its global tally to $85.4 million.

Nobody grossed an estimated $1.18 million in its second weekend in Russia, U.A.E., Egypt and other Middle Eastern territories. Its international cume is $5.03 million and its global total is $11.73 million, including $15.9 million in China and $7.9 million in Russia.

Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway debuted with $2.1 million in Australia, about 24% behind the opening of the first film as the pandemic continues to depress turnout. The sequel to the family-geared hit opens in North American theaters on May 14.


Title Estimated weekend % change Locations Location change Average Total Weekend Distributor
Nobody $6,700,000   2,460   $2,724 $6,700,000 1 Universal
Raya and the Last Dragon $3,500,000 -32% 2,212 -49 $1,582 $28,389,857 4 Walt Disney
Tom and Jerry $2,510,000 -35% 2,464 -44 $1,019 $37,067,000 5 Warner Bros.
Chaos Walking $1,185,000 -38% 2,036 -96 $582 $11,468,256 4 Lionsgate
The Courier $1,040,000 -45% 1,641 208 $634 $3,477,707 2 Roadside Attractions
The Croods: A New Age $540,000 -14% 1,319 -92 $409 $55,972,933 18 Universal
The Marksman $375,000 -20% 851 -254 $441 $14,796,109 11 Open Road
Boogie $340,000 -43% 1,028 -156 $331 $3,806,840 4 Focus Features
Minari $275,000 -10% 912 126 $302 $1,840,000 16 A24
Wonder Woman 1984 $245,000 -47% 1,128 -30 $217 $45,857,000 14 Warner Bros.
The Father $164,800 -47% 652 -281 $253 $1,231,294 3 Sony Pictures Classics
The Little Things $140,000 -59% 1,001 -129 $140 $14,912,000 9 Warner Bros.
Promising Young Woman $130,000 -33% 733 -98 $177 $5,938,915 14 Focus Features
News of the World $120,000 56% 620 -78 $194 $12,566,355 14 Universal
City of Lies $118,148 -58% 443 -58 $267 $500,378 2 Saban Films
Nomadland $107,500   600   $179 $2,180,000 6 Searchlight Pictures
Judas and the Black Messiah $105,000 -58% 842 -109 $125 $5,195,000 7 Warner Bros.
Wrong Turn $91,517 -16% 133 -4 $688 $944,403 9 Saban Films
Monster Hunter $82,000 -46% 215 -97 $381 $14,961,025 15 Sony Pictures Entertainment
The War with Grandpa $74,473 -33% 338 -75 $220 $21,000,995 25 101 Studios
Six Minutes to Midnight $56,000   145   $386 $56,000 1 IFC Films
Dutch $46,228 -46% 129 -51 $358 $323,167 3 Faith Media
Long Weekend $20,000 -82% 261 -560 $77 $511,651 3 Sony Pictures Entertainment
Images Courtesy of Universal Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures