It was supposed to be a close fight between the mighty ape and another hairy hero, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Given the strong word-of-mouth from last weekend's smash opening, "Logan" was expected to lose just half of last week's business and finish in the mid-$40M range, giving newcomer "Kong: Skull Island" a run for its money. It would also be competing against "Get Out," another genre movie that's shown strong staying power.
No one expected "Kong," yet another in a long line of attempts to reboot the 1933 classic original version of "King Kong," to open much higher than that, either. (Peter Jackson's "King Kong," opened with $50.1 million back in 2005.)
When the fog finally cleared from the mysterious isle on Sunday, "Skull Island" had grossed an estimated $61 million. It earned a clear victory over "Logan," which fell 57 percent to an estimated $37.9 million. Meanwhile, in its third weekend, "Get Out" dropped an amazing 25 percent of the previous weekend's business and came in third with an estimated $21.1 million.
How did "Kong" beat the odds? Here are six ways.
1. Kong Is a Box Office Draw
2. March Is the New Place for Summer Blockbusters
From "Logan" to the upcoming "Beauty and the Beast," "Power Rangers," and "Ghost in the Shell," Hollywood is poised to earn nearly 10 percent of its 2017 revenue during a month when cold weather is usually still discouraging people from leaving their living rooms for the multiplex. Then again, there's still spring break, which, for many students, coincided with the weekend of the new Kong movie's release.
3. Lack of Competition
This weekend, "Kong" was fortunate not to have to compete against any other new wide releases, but genre movie fans still had a banquet of choices, thanks to holdovers "Logan" (which, despite its steep-ish slide, still made a ton of money this weekend, pushing its 10-day total to $152.7 million) and "Get Out" (whose strong third weekend came in part because it actually added another 205 screens, for a total of 3,143).
4. Male Audiences Love Monster Movies
Then again, that makes "Kong" smart counter-programming to the young-women-targeting "Before I Fall" (still No. 6 on the chart) and to "Get Out," since horror tends to draw a predominantly female audience. And it's a more even ratio than "Logan," whose ticketbuyers have been 63 percent male.
5. Good Buzz
Indeed, even though "Kong" is rated PG-13, only 18 percent of its viewers were under the age of 18. Nearly half (48 percent) were over 35. Paying customers gave the film strong word-of-mouth, as measured by an overall B+ CinemaScore, but viewers over 25 liked it more than most, giving it an A grade.
6. The MonsterVerse
It's not all rosy for the big gorilla. The movie cost a reported $185 million to make and (if the recent "Godzilla" is any guide) more than $100 million to market. A $75 million opening would have been a stronger sign that "Skull Island" can earn back its costs. (The radioactive lizard enjoyed a $93.2 million debut three years ago.)
Still, "Kong" did earn an estimated $81.6 million overseas, for a global total of $142.6 million. And it's still two weeks away from opening in China, which could make all the difference. With any luck, world domination is at hand for the massive monkey and his fellow mega-monsters.