The arrival of Logan standing in its way.

Kong: Skull Island, which pits stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brie Larson against the titular ape and many other monsters, was reportedly made for $185 million. So even with a big opening weekend, the film would have a long way to go for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. to deem the film a commercial success. But the latest box office figures are in, and Skull Island is off to a rousing start.

As reported by Godzilla grossed $93.2 million in its first weekend in the U.S. as the first film in Legendary’s planned “MonsterVerse.” Logan finished in second place over the weekend with $37.8 million.

Logan Crawls Bloody

Because of Kong: Skull Island’s substantial production budget and marketing costs, Variety estimates that the film would need to be a huge hit overseas and earn about $500 million worldwide to be considered a commercial success. The report also warns of the looming March 17 release of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which is projected to earn as much as a whopping $120 million in its opening weekend.

Rounding out the top five at the box office are Universal’s positive reviews, praising its action, visuals and war film aesthetic.

Of course, a big debut doesn’t necessarily mean a big overall performance. As mentioned in Variety’s report, Skull Island still needs to recoup about $500 million in costs. Either way, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. made a massive bet on the “MonsterVerse,” and much of the franchise’s future hinges on Skull Island sustaining its success. The future of Kong: Skull Island at the box office will become clearer when the worldwide box office figures come out - but it certainly stands among the best Kong movies, and $61 million in the U.S. is a strong start.

Source: Variety

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