New | Godzilla a monster of a hit at the world's box office
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.
