We hope you're ready, kaiju fans. Because for the first time in 14 years, a big-budget vision of the world's most famous monster stomps into theaters.
We're talking about the widely anticipated revamp of Godzilla, of course, which marks the culmination of a four-year partnership between Legendary Pictures and Time Warner's (TWX) Warner Bros.
However, according to the Fool's Steve Symington in the video below, some are surprised the new Godzilla is currently "only" tracking for a $70 million U.S. weekend debut. That's certainly not a bad start given the estimated $160 million production budget allocated to the film by Legendary and Time Warner. But it does seem underwhelming at first glance, especially considering Sony (SONY -0.72%) Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man 2 just finished with almost $92 million during its opener just two weekends ago. And last month, Disney (DIS -1.16%) Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier set a new April debut record with $95 million.
So what does that say for the blockbuster potential for Godzilla? In the end, Steve says, while the new Godzilla is enjoying a largely positive critical response and has all the makings of a box office hit, much of its success hinges on how international audiences respond. Steve points to two previous monster films that enjoyed similar domestic starts, but ended with two very different global totals thanks to the overwhelming influence of overseas movie-goers. To hear Steve's full take, please watch the video below.
