King Kong's got off to a slow start at the US box office. Despite high expectations for Peter Jackson's rapturously received Lord of the Rings follow-up, it took just $9.7million on its first domestic day, around half that of Fellowship of the Ring.
The film did, however, perform strongly internationally. It had the highest opening day ever in New Zealand and strong numbers in Australia, Germany and Malaysia.
Analysts are predicting that part of Kong's disappointing first day numbers in the US may be down to the fact that this is exam week for American students, who will make up a large proportion of the target audience. Check back on Monday for the big ape's final weekend haul.