The prospect of seeing Jason Statham go up against a prehistoric shark was too tantalising for audiences to pass up as The Meg devoured the box office over the weekend. Warner Bros and Gravity Pictures' cheeky horror comedy consumed a whopping $45.4 million from the US box office with an added $101 million from the rest of the world.

Earlier forecasts had predicted a domestic opening weekend somewhere in the mid $20 million range. When Warner Bros got wind of this, they ramped up their social media marketing in the run up to release, and their savvy efforts have yielded impressive results. The reviews might be mixed, but The Meg is a whole lot of fun if you're in the right mood for a B-movie with a blockbuster budget.

Costing as much as $150 million, The Meg will need to reach at least $400 million globally to turn a profit and be a financial success. As it's a co-production between Warner Bros and China's Gravity Pictures, WB gets a bigger slice of the box office generated from China than other Hollywood movies. Traditionally, Hollywood films retain 25% of the takings from a release in China, but as The Meg is a co-production, WB will retain 43% of the box office. That's good news as The Meg made more than $50 million in China over the weekend.

August is often an overlooked month when it comes to movies, even the most average of new releases can claim the number one spot. Last year, The Hitman's Bodyguard was America's number one movie for three weeks largely because not much else was out. The Meg came along at the right time to give audiences one last taste of summer blockbuster excess.

The Meg is in cinemas now.