With King Kong, a little swagger returns to the box office

LOS ANGELES: For the first time in a long time, there's the faint hint of a hit at the box office.

Opening-day ticket sales on Wednesday for "Godzilla vs. Kong" totaled $9.6 million, Warner Bros. said Thursday - a single-day pandemic record and more than most 2020-2021 opening weekend hauls.

The film is poised this weekend to set a new high in ticket sales during the pandemic. It won't be the kind of blockbuster business such a big-budget release would typically manage, but experts forecast a launch of at least $25 million.

Last weekend, the monster mash pulled in an impressive $123.1 million internationally. In China, where moviegoing is close to pre-pandemic levels, the movie made about $70 million, double the debut of 2014's "Godzilla".

Huge challenges remain to the revival of moviegoing. With so many cinemas shuttered for nearly an entire year, many moviegoers are out of the habit.

Some are unlikely to return to sitting indoors with strangers until they're vaccinated or the pandemic has ended.

And even those who have been convinced of the safety of moviegoing by theaters' health protocols, they now have only more in-home options. "Godzilla vs. Kong'' is streaming simultaneously on HBO Max in North America.

Since the launch of "Tenet'' fizzled last August, and virus cases soared, most studios have been postponing or rerouting their biggest releases to streaming services.

But as vaccinations have ramped up and restrictions have eased, more theaters have opened. About 60% of theaters will be open this weekend, according to data firm Comscore.

For the first time since last winter, wide release will mean playing in more than 3,000 theaters. That's still about 1,200 shy of typical for a title like "Godzilla vs. Kong".

Recently, ticket sales, while still far below their usual levels, are ticking upward.