The latest remake of classic monster flick Godzilla stormed straight to the top of the global box office at the weekend, raising prospects of lucrative sequels to the Japanese dinosaur-like behemoth.
The movie, in which Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston plays the tortured Japanese-speaking scientist battling to save humanity, scored a killer US$93.2 million on its opening weekend in North America, and more than twice that globally.
The latest incarnation of the 1954 classic, which also stars Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche as well as Britons Sally Hawkins and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, continues the original’s exploration of the threat of nuclear disasters.
The US$160 million budget movie, in which Godzilla does battle with two giant and long-dormant creatures that feed off radioactivity, pushed raunchy comedy Neighbors to a distant second place.
“This has a potential to be Warner’s newest tentpole franchise,” said Jeff Bock of box office trackers Exhibitor Relations, using industry-speak for mega-budget blockbuster movies, crucial to studios’ financial success.
Warner Bros, which could use a new dependable franchise after the end of the Harry Potter series, is already working on a sequel to Godzilla, according to industry journal Variety, which said the film made nearly US$200 million globally at the weekend.
