Even though Warner Bros.' Godzilla: King of the Monsters sits at the top of the weekend's box office, the film didn't quite hit studio expectations.
According to Box Office Mojo, Godzilla: King of the Monsters earned an estimated $49 million domestically, putting it shy of the studio's $50 million to 55 million projections. On opening day, Godzilla made $19.6 million, then showed a day-to-day decline. The film fell short of its predecessor, 2014's Godzilla, which made $93.2 million opening weekend. 2017's Kong: Skull Island also boasted a better opening weekend, making $61 million.
King of the Monsters competed with Paramount's Rocketman and Universal and Blumhouse's Ma, both of which surpassed their studios' expectations. Rocketman made an estimated $25 million, which puts it ahead of Paramount's $18-20 million expectations. Ma was filmed with a meager budget of $5 million and made $18.2 million domestically.
Internationally, Godzilla: King of the Monsters made an estimated $130 million, putting the film at $179 million worldwide. The film reportedly had its best opening weekend in China, making $70 million. Openings in other countries include Japan at $8.4 million, Mexico at $4.6 million and France at $2.6 million.
Directed by Michael Dougherty, Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds and Zhang Ziyi.