The name of the game these days in Hollywood is shared universe, and audiences are about to see Legendary Pictures roll out their so-called MonsterVerse, which combines Godzilla and King Kong. After Gareth Edwards successfully rebooted the King of Monsters back in 2014, this week marks the premiere of Kong: Skull Island - a star-studded, Vietnam inspired take on the King Kong mythos that features a number of connections to the larger world it inhabits. The marketing campaign has done a good job of selling it as fun big screen spectacle, and the critics are officially on board.

If Legendary is to see their plan come into fruition, however, they first need to make sure audiences enjoy what they’ve done with the property. Box office figures are perhaps the most important numbers in the film industry today, meaning there’s a lot of pressure on Skull Island to perform well and keep the forward momentum going. Fortunately for the creative team, it’s poised to get off to a solid start.

According to Deadline, Skull Island should bring in anywhere between $110 million and $135 million globally during its opening weekend. Projections indicate the domestic intake should be around $45 million to $50 million, bolstered by premium formats such as IMAX and 3D, as well as the aforementioned positive reviews. Kong sports a production budget of a pricey $185 million, so Warner Bros. might have been hoping for something a little larger (like Logan’s whopping $247 million), but this would still be a good debut for the tentpole. Of course, it has to deal with the impending juggernaut Beauty and the Beast very soon, so it will be interesting to see how Skull Island holds up over its run.

These estimates indicate many people are aware there’s a new King Kong movie opening in theaters, but the studio is still cranking out promotional materials to drum up excitement. They just unveiled a new international poster featuring Samuel L. Jackson’s Preston Packard. You can check it out below:

Some believe there’s an outside chance Logan repeats in the top spot as it continues to ride its waves of enthusiastic buzz, but odds are Kong will be king at the box office this weekend. The giant ape is one of the most well-known names in cinema history, giving the film some much-needed recognizability as it tries to stand out in a March that’s unusually packed to the brim with genre entertainment. Plus, with people saying Skull Island makes for a fun time at the movies, that will only add to its appeal. For some, it could be a nice palette cleanser after the somber and emotionally-draining Logan (though both should do well) and get the ball rolling on the MonsterVerse before Kong fights Godzilla.

NEXT - Kong: Skull Island Review

Source: Deadline

  • Kong: Skull Island Release Date: 2017-03-10