Godzilla II: King of the Monsters earns mere USD 49 million in first week

Washington DC: The much-hyped 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' opened to a mere USD 49 million in its first weekend at the box office. The film was made with a hefty budget of USD 200 million.

Warner Bros. and Legendary's Godzilla: King of the Monsters comes as the third instalment in the franchise after 'Godzilla' in 2014 which earned USD 93 million and 'Kong: Skull Island' in 2017 which drew USD 61 million at the box office.

"The challenge and goal for us is to make sure the audience broadens out. The movie is dependent on broadening beyond just the fanbase," Variety quoted Jeff Goldstein; Warner Bros. head of domestic distribution as saying.

The demography of the 'King of the Monsters' fanbase comprises mostly older male population. Out of the overall fan base, 59 per cent are above the age of 25 while 67 per cent are men.The film, directed by Michael Dougherty stars Millie Bobby Brown, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga, Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, O'Shea Jackson Jr, Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford, among many others, reported Entertainment Weekly.

The film's human characters include Kyle who plays the role of Millie's character Madison's father named Mark Russell. Dr Emma Russell (played by Vera), a scientist working for the beast-hunting organisation Monarch, and her daughter Madison, who is portrayed by Millie.The pair is kidnapped by what Dougherty describes as "a mysterious organisation, with their own plans for the creatures."

The film looks to bring back Godzilla's glory days with an all-out kaiju battle royale between the big lizard himself and his three most iconic enemies: Mothra, a massive moth once worshipped by the ancient world as a guardian angel, Rodan: a powerful pterodactyl the size of two skyscrapers with rocky skin and Godzilla's most infamous archenemy, King Ghidora: a fearsome three-headed dragon capable of generating powerful stratosphere-ripping storms as he flies.

The film hit the theatres on May 31 in India.