Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire that hit theaters in March 2024 amidst lots of hype has lived up to the lofty expectations from fans across the world. The 5th film in the MonsterVerse franchise, which is a follow-up to the 2021 blockbuster, sees Godzilla and Kong reunite to fight an unknown threat hidden within the Earth that poses grave danger to humans and Titans alike.
The movie has now earned the stellar distinction of being the most successful MonsterVerse film ever through its box office collection. This achievement is even more significant when one compares it to 2017’s Kong: Skull Island which had two massive Marvel stars, Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston in the lead roles, but did not reach the box office glory of the 5th installment.
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Claims Top Spot In The MonsterVerse Franchise
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, which was released on Easter weekend in 2024, seems to have surpassed expectations with viewers and MonsterVerse fans across the world. The 5th installment in the series received mixed reviews from critics, but has set the box office alight judging by its worldwide collection.
For starters, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film opened to an $80 million collection in its inaugural weekend while it was predicted to make only between $45 to $55 million. It continued its dream run and has now ended with a worldwide collection of $570 million at the box office (via Deadline). This has officially given the film the coveted status of being the highest-grossing MonsterVerse movie.
The action thriller has now surpassed Kong: Skull Island, which made $568 million at the box office as per the report in Deadline. To put this feat into context, the 2017 film had two huge MCU stars in Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson headlining the narrative while Godzilla X Kong did not boast of such high pedigree. This makes the film’s success at the box office and its pole position in the MonsterVerse franchise even more impressive.
Kaylee Hottle’s Inspiring Presence Took Godzilla X Kong to Greater Heights
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is the 5th film in the MonsterVerse, and has made its way to becoming the most successful film in the series. The film also benefited from the return of deaf movie star Kaylee Hottle reprising her role of the central protagonist with a hearing impairment from the 2021 film Godzilla Vs Kong.
Back in 2021, this was an inspiring casting choice that went a long way towards the representation of people with disabilities. Hottle, for her part, was proud and grateful to be a pioneer and role model for her community.
In an interview with The AU Review ahead of the release of the 5th film, the star who did not expect to be called back was pleasantly surprised to know that she would be reprising her role. Speaking of what it meant to inspire hearing impaired people all over the world, she said,
I’m acting in monster movies as a deaf person. I want deaf people to know that they can do that too, just like me. There are no limit.
Marvel’s Eternals was another 2021 film that pioneered a similar action by casting deaf actor Lauren Ridloff in the role of Makkari, who is the first deaf superhero to be showcased on the big screen. This was seen as an inspiring move by the franchise. Like Hottle, Ridloff’s performance too struck a chord with audiences worldwide.
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire can be rented on Apple TV.
