Battle at The Box Office: Godzilla vs. Kong Estimated To Be Biggest Domestic Pandemic Opening Weekend

image courtesy Legendary Pictures

It's been a long, hard year at the cinema. Dozens of movies were either pulled or delayed from their theatrical release. And numerous films that should have been massive financial successes for their respective studios ended up courting major losses as studios grappled with a worldwide pandemic, shuttered theaters, and had to watch their big budget commercial ventures fall apart or at least take heavy hits. 

With COVID numbers beginning to decline and vaccines being doled out in the millions, the general public may be ready to start heading back to theaters. And it looks like the upcoming Legendary Pictures release of Godzilla vs. Kong will be the one that finally starts to set things right. 

As minimal test screenings have begun, the latest in the franchise seems to be garnering the best positive reaction so far. With a planned dual release on HBO Max and a theatrical opening set for March 31st, analysts are saying that this will finally push the button to get the theaters a kick start. If the film had opened before the crisis began, they've estimated that it would have seen $60 million plus three day opener. But, as it stands right now, it's looking like it will still scare up roughly $23.7 million in weekend ticket sales. This would oust Tenet's current 2021 opening weekend record of just $20 million. This is a move in the right direction as most theaters have been taking losses for over a year now. 

Also, post trailer interest is at nearly 70 percent right now, which means many people will definitely choose to see this one in the theater. While it's not going to be a massive opening as a whole, it will be a sign of things to come. 

-CG