"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" stormed into theaters above expectations, yielding an impressive $80 million opening weekend from 3,861 North American theaters.

Projected to debut at $50 million to $55 million, the monster mashup exceeded expectations, spurred on by such factors as premium large formats repping near half of ticket sales and high audience enthusiasm that stamped an "A-" CinemaScore.

But throughout it all, the film still manages to score strong marks at the box office with an average of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, thanks, in part, to a lead cast consisting of Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dan Stevens. "Rotten," Average: 55% on Rotten Tomatoes

It's the second-best opening for Warner Bros. and Legendary's MonsterVerse, behind 2014's "Godzilla." In fact, the film has such an international reach, taking an incredible $114 million from 64 territories abroad and lifting its global haul to $194 million.

More so, the stakes are very paramount for the success of "Godzilla x Kong" across the world, with a production budget of $135 million. Legendary and Warner Bros. 's "Godzilla x Kong," enjoying remarkable company in theaters alongside other blockbusters like "Dune: Part Two," has ignited a revival at the box office after a sluggish start to the year.

Distantly behind was Sony's "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," which filled a second place at the weekend box office, as the monster flick provided difficult competition. The supernatural comedy saw its gross fall off sharply in its second week, while Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 4" held in at the third position.

Dune: Part Two followed with a fourth-place finish in its fifth weekend. Immaculate, the Sydney Sweeney starrer religious horror feature film, collected the top five with a moderate showing.