The King of the Monsters and the Eighth Wonder of the World may have their anticipated showdown play out on a streaming service instead of theaters. Both Netflix and WarnerMedia have reportedly made offers for Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla vs. Kong.
Directed by Adam Wingard, Godzilla vs. Kong is the fourth installment of Legendary’s MonsterVerse and was slated to debut in theaters in November 2020. However, the monster film was one of the many Hollywood tentpoles to be postponed until 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Netflix made an offer of over $200 million for Godzilla vs. Kong. However, WarnerMedia has reportedly blocked the deal as it prepares a bid of its own for HBO Max. A potential simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max streaming release, not unlike the strategy employed for Wonder Woman 1984, is said to be one of the options being considered by WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and Warner Bros. chairman Ann Sarnoff. While Legendary reportedly declined to comment on the matter, a Warner Bros. spokesperson told THR, “We plan to release Godzilla vs. Kong theatrically next year as scheduled.”
Although Legendary Pictures may be enticed by Netflix’s offer considering it financed 75% of the budget for Godzilla vs. Kong, Warner Bros. ultimately controls the blockbuster’s release despite only covering 25% of the cost. A simultaneous Netflix debut and limited theatrical release in international markets where theaters are open, including China, could be beneficial to both parties as the streamer had yet to establish a strong presence in China and a sizable portion of the MonsterVerse franchise’s profits have been earned from overseas. For instance, roughly over a third of the $386 million worldwide gross of Godzilla: King of the Monsters was earned in China.
A potential complication facing Warner Bros.’ stated plans to release Godzilla vs. Kong theatrically is the uncertainty regarding the future of U.S. theaters next year. There are no guarantees that theaters, which continue to close amid the second wave of the pandemic, will fully operational by summer 2021, and studios still face a backlog of delayed tentpole projects even if they are back in business.
Whether Netflix ends up acquiring Godzilla vs. Kong or not, fans can still expect to see the King of Monsters on the streamer down the line. An anime series co-produced by Bones and Orange titled Godzilla Singular Point is slated to premiere on Netflix in April 2021.
Godzilla vs. Kong is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on May 21, 2021.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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