HOLLYWOOD - “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” has stomped to the top of box office charts.

The two otherworldly beasts teamed up to save the planet, trouncing projections after benefitting from several factors, including premium large formats and audience enthusiasm.

The one-two punch of “Godzilla x Kong” and “Dune 2” is helping to offset the shortage of new releases in January and February. A few weeks ago, box office revenues were 20% behind the same point in 2023. But now, ticket sales are down by just 6.3%, according to Comscore.

Elsewhere at the box office, “Godzilla x Kong” took a sizable bite out of business for “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” which is targeting a similar demographic.

Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” remains in third place.

“Dune: Part Two” dropped to the No. 4 spot in its fifth week on the big screen.

The religious horror film “Immaculate” rounded out the top five.

Story Date: April 4, 2024