‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ scales box office; ‘Rocketman’ and ‘Ma’ open solid

Three new wide releases helped the box office gross 62% more than it did over the same weekend last year.

Warner Bros.’ ”Godzilla: King of the Monsters” opened in first place with $49 million, below analyst projections of at least $50 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.

Internationally, the film grossed $130 million for a global haul of $179 million.

The latest installment in Warner Bros.’ and Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse, the film follows 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island,” which opened with $61 million, and 2014’s “Godzilla,” which opened with $93 million.

Starring Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown, the film sees the titular monster go head to head with Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah. It earned mixed reviews from audiences with a B+ CinemaScore and worse with critics, notching a 39% “rotten” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

At No. 2, Disney’s “Aladdin” added $42.3 million in its second weekend (a 54% drop) for a cumulative $185 million. Internationally, the film earned $78.3 million for a global haul of $120.6 million this weekend and $445.9 million cumulatively.

Paramount’s “Rocketman” debuted at No. 3 with $25 million.

An R-rated look at the life and success of Elton John, the musical biopic stars Taron Edgerton as the larger-than-life singer and also features Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard. It was well-received with an A- CinemaScore and a 90% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Comparatively, last year’s Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” opened with $51 million before going on to gross $216.4 million during its theatrical run and was nominated for five Oscars, four of which it won.

In fourth place, Universal’s thriller “Ma” premiered with $18.3 million.

Starring Octavia Spencer as a lonely woman who befriends a group of teenagers, the film earned tepid reviews with a B- CinemaScore and a 62% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rounding out the top five, Lionsgate’s “John Wick — Chapter 3: Parabellum” added $11.1 million in its third weekend for a domestic cumulative $125.8 million and $221.7 million globally.

At No. 6, Disney’s “Avengers: Endgame” added $7.8 million in its sixth weekend for a cumulative $815.5 million. Globally, “Endgame” reached $2.713 billion, and now trails “Avatar” by $75 million for the top spot all time.

In seventh place, Warner Bros.’ “Pokemon Detective Pikachu” added $6.6 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $130.6 million.

United Artist Releasing’s “Booksmart” dropped to No. 8 in its second weekend, adding $3.3 million (a 52% drop) for a cumulative $14.4 million.

Also in its second weekend, Sony’s “Brightburn” dropped 70% to No. 9, adding $2.3 million for a cumulative $14.2 million.

Rounding out the top 10, United Artist Releasing’s “The Hustle” added $1.3 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $33.2 million.

This week, Fox reveals the X-Men installment “Dark Phoenix” and Universal opens the animated sequel “The Secret Life of Pets 2.” In limited release, A24 reveals the drama “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and Amazon Studios debuts the comedy “Late Night.”

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