LOS ANGELES - The Godzilla-King Kong combo stomped on expectations as "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," roared to an $80 million opening at the weekend box office.
Studio estimates Sunday showed that the monster mash-up from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures brought the second-highest opening in what has been a robust year.
It fell just short of the the $81.5 million debut of "Dune: Part 2."
Projections for "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" put its opening weekend at closer to $50 million.
Last week's No. 1, "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," was second with $15.7 million for a two-week total of $73.4 million.