“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” has monster opening weekend, pulling in $80M at the box office

Meanwhile, the other empire, "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," slipped to No. 2.

There's a New Empire ruling the box office.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire took the No. 1 spot this week, dethroning the other empire, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

The fifth film in the MonsterVerse franchise exceeded expectations with an $80 million premiere this weekend, Comscore reports, narrowly missing Dune: Part Two's $81.5 million opening. Internationally, The New Empire grossed an additional $114 million for a global debut of $194 million, putting Godzilla x Kong well ahead of the Dune sequel's $178.5 million for the biggest global opening of the year.

The New Empire follows 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, pitting the two behemoths against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within the world, challenging not only their existence, but the very existence of humanity. Directed by Adam Wingard, the movie stars Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, and Brian Tyree Henry.

Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire had a steep 65 percent drop from its debut last week, earning $15.7 million, bringing its domestic total to $73.4 million (and $108.5 million globally). Dune: Part Two showed signs of slowing down in its fifth week of release, earning $11.1 million for a domestic haul of $252.4 million ($626.1 million globally).

With fours across the board, Kung Fu Panda 4 took the fourth spot in its fourth week of release, earning $10.2 million for a cumulative take, domestically, of $151.7 million ($347.3 million globally). And rounding out the top 5, Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney, grossed $3.3 million for a domestic cume of $11.1 million ($16.6 million globally).

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• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire director explains Kong’s journey and that surprise return

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