LOS ANGELES – Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire roared to the top of the North American box office on its debut weekend, pulverising competition with a huge US$80 million (S$108 million) haul in ticket sales, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.

“The final numbers may change by Monday, but whatever they are, this is a fantastic opening,” analyst David Gross said, with ticket sales 2.5 times the average for a sequel to a monster flick.