The end of last year’s Godzilla II: King of the Monsters saw the iconic gargantuan reptile emerge as the undisputed dominant force among all the monsters. However, we all know that that title will be challenged yet again when Godzilla vs. Kong releases in 2021.
However, there is one big question mark as to where the upcoming sequel by Legendary Pictures will end up. According to sources close to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie could be making its way to streaming services directly as the cinema business is still quite shaken amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The streamers in question are Netflix and HBO Max, both of whom have sizeable stakes for wanting to bring Godzilla vs. Kong over to their side. The former has reportedly made an offer of over US$200 million to lure the movie over. However, the latter, whose parent company Warner Bros. has agreed to co-finance and co-produce films with Legendary, has “blocked the deal” as it readies its own bid.
“We plan to release Godzilla vs. Kong theatrically next year [2021] as scheduled,” a Warner Bros. representative told THR. Legendary Pictures made no comment regarding the matter.
Regardless of which streamer the movie heads to, it is clear that the landscape for the cinema industry has changed, as studios are carefully considering their options on how to go about maximising their profits at a time when they can’t solely rely on theatres.
As such, streaming services have risen up in popularity increasingly over the past few months as a viable option to break even for these big-budget films. Take Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 1984 coming to HBO Max in December for example, or even Disney’s Mulan releasing on Disney+ earlier this year.
In any case, there is still plenty of reason to look forward to Godzilla vs. Kong when it releases on 21 May 2021.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Natalie
