'Godzilla' Stomps Toward $100 Million
The summer's second tentpole took in a whopping $38.5 million on Friday, the biggest day of the year so far.
Gareth Edwards' Godzilla conquered the Friday box office with $38.5 million, putting the summer's second tentpole on course for a $98 million North American debut -- the best opening of the year so far.
If traffic holds, the Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. tentpole could best the $95 million debut of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the $91.6 million opening of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Godzilla, earning a B+ CinemaScore, is doing especially strong business in Imax theaters, which generated $6.1 million in Friday ticket sales.
Pre-release tracking had suggested that Godzilla would reach $65 million in its domestic launch.
The $160 million movie also opens around the globe this weekend, and is already off to an impressive start in a handful of international markets, including France.
Godzilla, hoping to finally launch a Hollywood studio franchise headlined by the giant lizard, is a defining moment for Legendary Pictures, which spearheaded the reboot. Legendary financed 75 percent of Godzilla, with Warner Bros. putting up the rest of the money.
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An origin story, the movie tries to remain true to the Japanese Godzilla movies made by Japan's Toho studio. Godzilla stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins and David Strathairn.
Godzilla opens 16 years after Sony unsuccessfully tried to launch its own franchise with Roland Emmerich's Godzilla starring Matthew Broderick.
The only other film opening nationwide this weekend is Disney's Million Dollar Arm, starring Jon Hamm as a sports agent who travels to India to recruit baseball pitchers. The $25 million movie is eyeing a muted debut in the $10 million-plus range after grossing $3.5 million on Friday, putting it at No. 4 for the weekend behind Godzilla, Neighbors and Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Directed by Craig Gillespie from a script by Tom McCarthy, Million Dollar Arm is based on the true story of baseball pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel. The family friendly movie, rated PG, also stars Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Alan Arkin and Lake Bell.
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Neighbors, a hit for Universal, is holding well in its second weekend, grossing $8.4 million on Friday to place No. 2. The raunchy Seth Rogen and Zac Efron comedy is expected to take in $26 million for the weekend, pushing its domestic total to $91 million and falling only 47 percent.
Sony's Amazing Spider-Man 2 came in No. 3 Friday with an estimated $4.5 million for a projected $16.1 million weekend. By Sunday, the sequel will have grossed $171.4 million in North America.
Female comedy The Other Woman rounded out the top five, grossing an estimated $2 million on its fourth Friday for a projected $6.5 million weekend and domestic total of $71.9 million.
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