Weekend Box Office: Godzilla reigns, but at a major cost

Early expectations for Godzilla: King Of The Monsters were understandably high – a $60 million domestic haul sounds fairly reasonable for one of the most ambitious battles in cinema this year (aside from that quiet snafu with that one purple guy, obviously). Alas, the result was a resounding “meh” and stateside earnings of just over $49 million, which isn’t quite the blowout that we’ve seen in past weeks with other major premieres. Despite underperforming by a substantial amount, it was still enough to top this weekend’s box office, even if only by a smidgen. Whether you would consider that a success or failure is a valid debate that you could partake in, if you wish. Aladdin followed with a $42.3 million second-week gross and a lasting international impression, continuing to top box offices in Europe and South Africa.

While it wasn’t the greatest weekend for long-teased blockbusters, it was actually pretty decent for smaller counter-programming: Rocketman and Ma debuted at third and fourth, respectively. The Elton John musical biopic may not have arrived with quite the same force as its sibling in perpetual comparison Bohemian Rhapsody, but it was still profitable enough at $25 million to beat out some aggressive summer favorites, like fifth-place John Wick 3. Even more impressive: Ma raked in over $18 million with only 2,808 theaters and a $5 million budget. Not bad for a tiny thriller, all things considered.

For a more detailed breakdown of this weekend’s box office, check out Box Office Mojo.