Godzilla: King of the Monsters [Japanese] Box Office Watch

G. H. (Gman)

OFFICIAL Japanese Box Office (as of 07/23/19): 2.79 Billion Yen ($25.8 Million USD)

UPDATE 8/01/19:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is still in a few theaters, but movement is too low to bother tracking. We may get an actual in a few weeks, but for now the movie is stuck at $25.8M USD and 1.91 million in attendance. It'll miss the 2 million ticket benchmark.

UPDATE 7/23/19:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is now at a slow crawl in Japan. After its 7th weekend in theaters, the film has made $25.8M USD. It's now pretty certain it won't hit $30M USD as early predictions had pinned it.

Currently its attendance is 1.92 million. It will struggle to hit Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Biollante's attendance numbers from 1999 and 1989 respectively.

UPDATE 7/17/19:
In its 6th weekend of release, Godzilla: King of the Monsters has fallen out of the top 10. It will now be tougher to track with less detail regarding its week-by-week box office.

It's currently sitting on a total of $25.6M USD and an attendance of 1.91 million. It will pass Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Biollante eventually, but it will be a slow crawl past both of them.

UPDATE 7/09/19:
Kogyotsushin reports King of the Monsters fell significantly further than expected in its 6th weekend--From 5th to 10th at the box office.  It made $365,000 over the weekend for a $25.1M USD total.

It's attendance is now at 1.86 million--140,000 under Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Biollante's final attendance count. It's expected to surpass those two movies, which were both considered modest-to-disappointing at the time of their release. It should finish just under Godzilla '14.

UPDATE 7/01/19:
It came as a surprise to everyone that Godzilla: King of the Monsters held on to the #5 spot in its 5th weekend. The movie brought in $713,000 USD for the weekend--Which is higher than the predicted $600,000 estimation.

King of the Monsters' total now comes to $24.3M USD. Its attendance is now at 1.80 million--About 200,000 away from Godzilla 2000's final take from 1999.

Should it hold in a similar fashion to the way it did this week, it should be able to hit $30 million by August.

5th Weekend Comparison:
Godzilla 2014: $27.9M - Attendance: 1.99M
Shin Godzilla: $51.7M - Attendance: 3.63M
Godzilla: King of the Monsters: $24.3M - Attendance: 1.80M

UPDATE 6/25/19:
World of KJ has translated Kogyotsushin's actuals for the 4th weekend. Godzilla: King of the Monsters fell to #5, which is slightly surprising, given the early estimates had it at #6. It pulled $1.1M USD this weekend, bringing its total to $22.9 million USD.

It's still on track for $30+ million, though $40 million is now a pipe dream. Attendance is currently at 1.69 million, which is just 100,000 tickets under Godzilla x MechaGodzilla's final take.

UPDATE 6/18/19:
World of KJ, via Kogyotsushin, says Godzilla: King of the Monsters dropped to #3 over the weekend, pulling $1.9 million USD. It is now officially at $20.5 million total in Japan.

Attendance sits at 1.51 million after 17 days.

The current total ties with Godzilla '14's 3rd weekend. For comparison here's what Godzilla '14 and Shin Godzilla's totals were at during their third weekends:

3rd Weekend Comparison:
Godzilla 2014: $20.5M.
Shin Godzilla: $32.6M.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters: $20.5.

UPDATE 6/11/19:
Kogyotsushin reports that Godzilla: King of the Monsters dropped to #2 over the weekend, making $3.4 million USD. Aladdin took the number 1 spot. It is, however, worth noting Godzilla: King of the Monsters opened as the 5th highest June release of all time until Aladdin knocked it down to number 6 a week later.

The movie's total now stands at $16.3 million USD. For comparison, Shin Godzilla drew over $19 million by the end of its second weekend.The percentage drop means Godzilla: King of the Monsters is no longer expected to finish at $40 million, but should still make more than Godzilla '14.

Its current attendance now sits at 1.2 million, tied with where Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. finished.

Original Post:
I enjoy tracking the box office of various movies in Japan because they're so much more interesting to look at. Japan doesn't normally get on board with the same movies the rest of the world does. Having a "Marvel" sticker on a movie doesn't guarantee success (Black Panther flopped in Japan) and success in Japan is usually determined by legs, not opening weekend. Japan also values attendance numbers since tickets fluctuate in price depending on the movie and time of week.

So I'll continue that here.

According to World of KJ, via Kogyotsushin, Godzilla: King of the Monsters opened to a surprising and massive $6.3 Million USD. ($8.6 Million counting Friday. It's important to understand the Japanese box office doesn't factor Fridays into the weekend even if it's the release weekend.) This was a surprise since the movie's presale tickets were low.

The film opened on 431 screens. This is 33% higher than the opening of Godzilla '14 and 8% higher than the opening for Shin Godzilla. Currently, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the 5th highest opening in Japan for 2019. (Behind titles such as Avengers: Endgame, Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Detective Conan: The First of Blue Sapphire.)

Response has been generally positive, though August Ragone says fans are divided.

The movie is expected to finish around $35-40 Million at the Japanese box office, but could go higher. That would make it $5 to $10 million higher than Godzilla '14.

Will update next weekend.

Other Japanese box office watches:
Shin Godzilla
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle

Comparison:
Godzilla (2014)
- Screens (at opening): 427
- Opening weekend: $5.0 million
- (Opening weekend counting Friday:) $6.7 million
- Total: $31 million
- Total Attendance: 2.23 million

Shin Godzilla (2016)
- Screens (at opening): 448
- Opening weekend: $6.1 million
- (Opening weekend counting Friday:) $8.2 million
- Total: $79.2 million
- Total Attendance: 5.69 million

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
- Screens (at opening): 158
- Opening weekend: $1.3 million
- Total: $3.1 million (est.)
- Total Attendance: 169,000 (est.)
(Last official number before dropping from top 10: $3 million)

Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
- Screens (at opening): 159
- Opening weekend: $945,000
- Total: $1.7 million (est.)
- Total Attendance: 93,100 (est.)
(Last official number before dropping from top 10: $945,000)

Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)
- Screens (at opening): 158
- Opening weekend: $901,000
- Total: $2.6 million (est.)
- Total Attendance: 142,400 (est.)
(Last official number before dropping from top 10: $1.9 Million)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
- Screens (at opening): 431
- Opening weekend: $6.3 million
- (Opening weekend counting Friday:) $8.6 million
- Total: pending
- Total Attendance: pending

Attendance numbers:


Attendance including recent giant monster/kaiju films:

Skubyrustis

So, Japan may want to continue allowing Legendary to make more movies given the money they make off of it, because Japan gets to keep all of this, correct?

GG

Really nice to see Japan likes it mostly.

G. H. (Gman)

Skubyrustis,
Assuming the deal hasn't been altered since 2014, Toho gets to keep all of the Japanese box office income. However, that also means Legendary/Warner Brothers can't profit off of Japan and we'll have to subtract them from the total world wide take.

Skubyrustis

I see.

So this doesn't really help it or harm it.

G. H. (Gman)

In a sense. On the one hand, it shows Toho that Godzilla is still a viable and beloved property in Japan. And whether Legendary continues to make movies or not, Toho very much will.

And even if Legendary/WB don't make any money off of Japan, they at least know there's an audience there--Which could help in the future.

Gmkgoji

I wonder what the budget for the anime films were?

G. H. (Gman)

Gmkgoji,
According to Matt Frank they weren't high.

It's also likely they made much more money from the Netflix deal which distributed them worldwide. Chances are the movies probably made money before anyone saw them due to the Netflix deal.

TheGMan123

I wonder how Godzilla II's performance will affect TOHO's dealings with Legendary and Warner Bros.

Obviously, the final verdict will only be solidified fully once we see how Godzilla vs. Kong does, but I do wonder what TOHO's executives are thinking after seeing this film's overall performance. Did well in their home territory, but internationally things haven't been great.

Im Durp

I think if anything this will pull toho away from the deal, assuming Godzilla vs Kong doesn't kill it Box office wise. They see in their home country there's still an interest for Godzilla, and without the legendary deal stopping them from making movies themselves it seems pretty obvious they would come to the conclusion that them having the rights back would be more lucrative, allowing them their own release schedule.

The Realist

 Here's why I disagree that it pulls Toho away.. 

Shin Godzilla made $79 mil world wide. All the cost to produce and market the film fell on Toho. It clearly is not a cheap movie nor is it cheap to distribute and deal internationally. Also there is no guarantee that a film makes its money back.

WB/Legendary takes on all production costs for the monsterverse. Toho simply reaps the reward. What business walks away from essentially free money? I believe it is in Toho's best interest to continue their deal with WB. However, I do think that Toho is a very proud company and they will eventually have a "we can do it better" epiphany. That is why they eventually cut ties.

G. H. (Gman)

The Realist,
Shin Godzilla made $81M world wide according to Japanese sources. It cost $15 million, Toho has called it a massive, unprecedented success for them, exceeding all expectations.

It was the #1 highest grossing live action Japanese film in three years - The #2 2016 release in Japan and #3 overall. (Your Name. and The Force Awakens [spilling over from 2015] beat it out.) It is the 5th most attended Godzilla film in Japanese history. It won and was nominated for over 20 awards across 7 film awards ceremonies and festivals, won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture, has two 4D attractions at Universal Studios, a VR game, 3-4 mobile games, a statue that's replaced the Heisei Godzilla statue and a partridge in a pear tree. Toho is STILL making money off that movie today. So yes. They've long, long since passed the point where they make their money "back."

Add to the fact that Toho owns most of the theater chains in Japan and the domestic distribution costs become a moot point. They know they can make money off of Godzilla themselves--They clearly still are.

Now I do agree with the fact that Toho is enticed by the idea that they don't have to lift a finger while Legendary/WB's movies make them money. That's probably the only part of this deal they absolutely adore. At the end of the day, however, renewing Legendary's contract with Toho means putting money in to the rights to merely use Godzilla. Toho's not cheap about letting others use the character, and for good reason. Legendary may have to pony up more than before while adhering to new stipulations that allow Toho work on their own films. If these movies don't make money worldwide, Legendary may not consider the investment worth it.

TheGMan123

There's also TOHO investing more in Hollywood in general for adaptations of its properties.

The future is uncertain, that's for sure.

G. H. (Gman)

Also true. Part of which we know for fact includes an American adaptation of Your name.

The Realist

My point was not to criticize Shin, or imply it wasn't a huge success. What I meant is taking on all the cost with no guarantee of success is not nearly as enticing as sitting back and collecting free money. If I remember correctly, Final Wars was a massive financial disappointment for Toho.

G. H. (Gman)

Very true, but Final Wars was a different era headed by different producers, executives and filmmakers. None of those people are part of the current stable of executives in charge. And even if they had to take on the cost of Shin Godzilla, they still made more profit off of it than the money they made for G'14.

So if they think they can continue making more off their own productions, they will.

G. H. (Gman)

Kogyotsushin reports that Godzilla: King of the Monsters dropped to #2 over the weekend, making $3.4 million USD. Aladdin took the number 1 spot. It is, however, worth noting Godzilla: King of the Monsters opened as the 5th highest June release of all time until Aladdin knocked it down to number 6 a week later.

The movie's total now stands at $16.3 million USD. For comparison, Shin Godzilla drew over $19 million by the end of its second weekend.The percentage drop means Godzilla: King of the Monsters is no longer expected to finish at $40 million, but should still make more than Godzilla '14.

Its current attendance now sits at 1.2 million, tied with where Godzilla: Tokyo SOS finished.

G. H. (Gman)

Attendance charts have been updated with a few more accurate numbers.

G. H. (Gman)

World of KJ, via Kogyotsushin, says Godzilla: King of the Monsters dropped to #3 over the weekend, pulling $1.9 million USD. It is now officially at $20.5 million total in Japan.

Attendance sits at 1.51 million after 17 days.

The current total ties with Godzilla '14's 3rd weekend. For comparison here's what Godzilla '14 and Shin Godzilla's totals were at during their third weekends:

3rd Weekend Comparison:
Godzilla 2014: $20.5M.
Shin Godzilla: $32.6M.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters: $20.5.

G. H. (Gman)

World of KJ has translated Kogyotsushin's actuals for the 4th weekend. Godzilla: King of the Monsters fell to #5, which is slightly surprising, given the early estimates had it at #6. It pulled $1.1M USD this weekend, bringing its total to $22.9 million USD.

It's still on track for $30+ million, though $40 million is now a pipe dream. Attendance is currently at 1.69 million, which is just 100,000 tickets under Godzilla x MechaGodzilla's final take.

The Realist

It seems KOTM was able to retain the majority of 2014's audience in Japan. If it were able to do the same in the US the monsterverse would be in pretty good shape.

G. H. (Gman)

UPDATE 7/01/19:
It came as a surprise to everyone that Godzilla: King of the Monsters held on to the #5 spot in its 5th weekend. The movie brought in $713,000 USD for the weekend--Which is higher than the predicted $600,000 estimation.

King of the Monsters' total now comes to $24.3M USD. Its attendance is now at 1.80 million--About 200,000 away from Godzilla 2000's final take from 1999.

Should it hold in a similar fashion to the way it did this week, it should be able to hit $30 million by August.

5th Weekend Comparison:
Godzilla 2014: $27.9M - Attendance: 1.99M
Shin Godzilla: $51.7M - Attendance: 3.63M
Godzilla: King of the Monsters: $24.3M - Attendance: 1.80M

G. H. (Gman)

UPDATE 7/09/19:
Kogyotsushin reports King of the Monsters fell significantly further than expected in its 6th weekend--From 5th to 10th at the box office.  It made $365,000 over the weekend for a $25.1M USD total.

It's attendance is now at 1.86 million--140,000 under Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Biollante's final attendance count. It's expected to surpass those two movies, which were both considered modest-to-disappointing at the time of their release. It should finish just under Godzilla '14.

G. H. (Gman)

UPDATE 7/17/19:
In its 6th weekend of release, Godzilla: King of the Monsters has fallen out of the top 10. It will now be tougher to track with less detail regarding its week-by-week box office.

It's currently sitting on a total of $25.6M USD and an attendance of 1.91 million. It will pass Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Biollante eventually, but it will be a slow crawl past both of them.

G. H. (Gman)

UPDATE 7/23/19:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is now at a slow crawl in Japan. After its 7th weekend in theaters, the film has made $25.8M USD. It's now pretty certain it won't hit $30M USD as early predictions had pinned it.

Currently its attendance is 1.92 million. It will struggle to hit Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Biollante's attendance numbers from 1999 and 1989 respectively.

G. H. (Gman)

UPDATE 8/01/19:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is still in a few theaters, but movement is too low to bother tracking. We may get an actual in a few weeks, but for now the movie is stuck at $25.8M USD and 1.91 million in attendance. It'll miss the 2 million ticket benchmark.

The movie will only be the 22nd most attended Godzilla film in Japan behind Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Biollante.