It was a battle of the beasts at the box office this weekend, and King Kong emerged as the definitive victor over Wolverine.

According to studio estimates Sunday, “Kong: Skull Island” amassed $61 million in its first weekend in theaters, surpassing expectations and easily beating out “Logan,” which is in its second weekend.

Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Kong: Skull Island” stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson. It’s the second in the planned “monster universe” following the latest “Godzilla,” which grossed $529.1 million worldwide in 2014.

Costing a reported $185 million to produce, “Kong” still has work to do, however, to reach profitability, and much of that will depend on international earnings.

Fox’s “Logan” took second place, down around 58 percent from its first weekend with $37.9 million. The R-rated pic, which sees Hugh Jackman reprising his role as the X-Men character Wolverine, has earned $152.7 million in total.

In third place, “Get Out,” the buzzy horror film directed by Jordan Peele, added $21.1 million, pushing its sum to $111 million in just three weeks.

— Associated Press