A monster box office weekend
“Godzilla vs. Kong” muscled its way to a pandemic-era box office record, giving both Hollywood studios and theater owners hope that people are ready to return to the movies after a year of watching Netflix at home.
The tentpole, from Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, generated $32 million over the weekend and $48.5 million in its first five days of release. That exceeded industry expectations and easily marked the biggest debut since the coronavirus hit. Prior to this weekend, “Wonder Woman 1984” had the biggest three-day start with $16.7 million, followed by “Tom and Jerry” with $14 million.
The results for “Godzilla vs. Kong” are especially impressive because the film is also available to HBO Max subscribers for no extra fee.
At the international box office, where “Godzilla vs. Kong” opened last weekend, revenues for the monster mashup have surpassed $236 million. It brought in another $71 million overseas this weekend, bringing the film’s global tally to $285 million.
The movie release calendar, at least until Memorial Day weekend in May, remains light on potential blockbusters.
However, the showing for “Godzilla vs. Kong” may encourage Hollywood studios to keep dates for buzzy summer titles including “A Quiet Place Part II” and Disney’s “Cruella” (May 28), Warner Bros.’ musical “In the Heights” (June 11), “Fast and Furious” sequel “F9” (June 25) and “Top Gun: Maverick” (July 2).
A Weeknd of giving:
The Weeknd is donating $1 million to relief efforts in Ethiopia amid the ongoing conflict between the government in Addis
Ababa and the Tigray region.
The singer announced his donation via Instagram on Sunday and encouraged others to give, too.
“My heart breaks for my people of Ethiopia as innocent civilians ranging from small children to the elderly are being senselessly murdered and entire villages are being displaced out of fear and destruction,” The Weeknd wrote. “I will be donating $1 million to provide 2 million meals through the United Nations World Food Programme and encourage those who can to please give as well.”
Both of The Weeknd’s parents immigrated to Canada from Ethiopia, and The Weeknd grew up speaking Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia.
Zendaya joins ‘Space Jam’:
Zendaya is voicing the character of Lola Bunny in the upcoming film “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”
The news was confirmed via the film’s official Twitter account on Saturday. “Welcome to the Jam, @Zendaya,” the tweet reads, alongside a basketball emoji and a gif of Lola Bunny. Entertainment Weekly was the first to report the casting news.
In the original 1996 “Space Jam,” Lola Bunny is Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend who shows off her basketball skills. Lola is nearly injured in the final basketball game, and Bugs comes to her rescue.
“Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which dropped its first trailer on Saturday, is set to release both theatrically and on HBO Max in the U.S. on July 16. The movie sees Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James replacing NBA legend Michael Jordan as the face of the franchise.
April 5 birthdays: Horror filmmaker Roger Corman is 95. Country singer Tommy Cash is 81. Actor Jane Asher is 75. Actor Mitch Pileggi is 69. Guitarist Mike McCready is 55. Musician Paula Cole is 53. Rapper-producer Pharrell Williams is 48. Actor Sterling K. Brown is 45. Actor Hayley Atwell is 39. Actor Lily James is 32.