Godzilla — King of the Box Office? Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” launched at the international box office with a chart-topping $130 million from 75 overseas markets.
The sci-fi tentpole debuted in North America with $49 million for a worldwide start of $179 million. Directed by Michael Dougherty and starring Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown and Bradley Whitford, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” cost $200 million to produce, before accounting for marketing fees. It’s the third installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, along with 2014’s “Godzilla” and 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island.” The first two films had much stronger showings overseas.
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” had the best start in China, where it earned $70 million. In Japan, the movie bowed with $8.4 million, while Mexico collected $4.6 million.
Another new release, Paramount’s “Rocketman,” a fantasy musical based on Elton John, earned $19.2 million when it took off in 40 foreign markets. The jukebox biopic has earned $56 million worldwide, including $25 million at the domestic box office. In Australia, “Rocketman” collected $3.9 million, followed by France with $1.8 million, Germany with $1.5 million, and Brazil with $1.1 million.
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Among holdovers, Disney’s “Aladdin” posted another $78 million overseas, bringing its global tally to $446 million. In less than two weeks, it has passed the lifetime grosses of “Mary Poppins Returns” ($349 million) and “Dumbo” ($349 million).
Fellow Disney release, “Avengers: Endgame,” pocketed $8.6 million for a worldwide bounty of $16.4 million this weekend. That takes the Marvel juggernaut to $2.713 billion, putting it roughly $75 million behind “Avatar’s” record $2.78 billion grosses.
Ahead of its U.S. debut, Universal and Illumination’s “The Secret Life of Pets 2” opened with $17.2 million from nine foreign markets. Top territories for the animated sequel about what canines and cats do when their owners aren’t home include Russia ($11.6 million), Ukraine ($1.3 million), Singapore ($400,000) and Malaysia ($200,000).
Other newcomers include Universal and Blumhouse’s psychological horror film “Ma,” which launched with $2.8 million from 31 international markets. Directed by Tate Taylor and starring Octavia Spencer, “Ma” bowed in the United Kingdom with $600,000, Germany with $600,000 and Mexico with $500,000. The $5 million movie opened in North America with $18.26 million, bringing its global tally to $21 million.