Monster movies make their triumphant (and wanted) return last weekend as the Gareth Edwards directed Godzilla stomps the competition to the tune of 93.1 million dollars last week giving it the biggest opening weekend so far this summer, and the second largest of the year (behind Captain America: Winter Soldier) and clearing The Amazing Spiderman 2 by almost 2 million. People came out in drove to witness the destruction. And given it’s current freshness on Rotten Tomatoes (73%) audiences weren’t the only ones.
Last week’s surprising number one Neighbors finished in the shotgun seat with another 25 million bringing it’s two weeks total to 90.5 million dollars on it’s tiny 18 million dollar budget. The Seth Rogen lead comedy has done surprisingly well for Universal, and a refreshing surprise for audiences taking the chance on it.
The Amazing Spiderman 2 made another 16.8 million to put it at a disappointing 172.1 million, and if not for the overseas audience this would be a definitive failure. It will be interesting to see Sony’s rebound on this, and if they know what the mistakes were and how to fix them. It’ll also be interesting to see what they do without the best part of the second film, that being the Peter Parker-Gwen Stacy dynamic.
Finishing out the top five were Disney’s Million Dollar Arm starring the overly handsome John Hamm, making a stunning 10.5 million. I only saw it making around 3 to 5 million. And in the five spot was the girl-power comedy The Other Woman which added another 6.3 to it’s 71.6 million dollar total.
Opening this Friday we have the RomCom Blended and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Who’ll dethrone the King of the Monsters will it be the little comedy that could, or will the mutants rise.