‘Godzilla’ Opens at No. 1, Beating ‘Aladdin,’ ‘Rocketman’

Hailey Waller

04 Jun 2019, 04:48 AM IST

(Bloomberg) -- “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” a Warner Bros. sequel about the famed Japanese movie monster, opened as the top film in U.S. and Canadian theaters in a tepid debut that nonetheless outdrew a new biopic about pop star Elton John and toppled Walt Disney Co.’s “Aladdin.”

The monster film brought in $47.8 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore Inc. That missed analysts’ estimates of up to $56 million. Paramount’s Elton John biopic “Rocketman” opened with sales of $25.7 million in third place, while the Universal Pictures/Blumhouse thriller “Ma” opened in fourth position with sales of $18.1 million.

‘Godzilla’ Opens at No. 1, Beating ‘Aladdin,’ ‘Rocketman’

Key Insights

The sales for “Godzilla” suggest Warner Bros. will count heavily on international revenue, which totaled $130 million in the opening weekend. In the new film, the legendary fire-breathing dinosaur takes on some old foes: Mothra, Rodan and the three-headed King Ghidorah. The human cast includes Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown and Ken Watanabe.
Warner Bros., part of AT&T Inc., is in second place in U.S. ticket sales this year, behind Walt Disney Co. The studio’s revenue was up 36% to $737.3 million through June 2, according to Box Office Mojo.
“Rocketman” is one of the most important 2019 releases for Viacom Inc.’s Paramount division and follows the successful 2018 Fox film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Box Office Pro was forecasting a $35 million opening debut, including some sales from a Fandango screening on May 18. The film cost about $40 million to make, according to Box Office Mojo.
“Ma” continues the successful Universal/Blumhouse formula of peddling inexpensively made films to horror fans. Box Office Pro was forecasting a $19.9 million weekend opening for the picture, which cost $5 million to produce. Octavia Spencer stars as a lonely woman who lets local teens party at her house.