“Godzilla” pushes Warner Bros. over $1 billion at int’l box office

PanARMENIAN.Net - Warner Bros. this weekend became the first studio to top the $1 billion mark at the international box office in 2014, TheWrap reported.

The studio got a big lift from recent releases “Godzilla”, “The Lego Movie” and “300: Rise of an Empire,” but the biggest factor was “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” Peter Jackson's Middle Earth epic was released in December of 2013, but has made the bulk of its $695 million from abroad in 2014. It's up to $953 million globally.

“Godzilla,” a co-production between Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., brought in $34.5 million this weekend, upping its international total to $167 million, and its worldwide haul to $315 million.

That's an impressive number, but still under the $206 million that “The Lego Movie” managed abroad ($461 million worldwide) and the $224 million from overseas for the “300” sequel, which is at $331 million worldwide.

The UK has been the strongest overseas market for “Godzilla” so far, with $19.3 million, followed by Russia and Mexico, both $13.2 million.

“Godzilla” opens in China on June 13 and on July 25 in Japan, where original rights holder Toho is distributing.