Had Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures stuck with their original plan, Godzilla vs. Kong would be hitting theaters next month. However, the fourth MonsterVerse installment was pushed back last November, so audiences will have to wait towards the end of the year to see it. However, apparently a Godzilla vs. Kong test screening was recently held, and while that hasn’t been officially confirmed, check out what director Adam Wingard cryptically posted earlier today.
As longtime fans of Godzilla and/or King Kong know, the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong won’t be the first time these two titans fight. They previously clashed in 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, and Adam Wingard shared the above picture from the Toho release on his Instagram, also noting that yesterday was a “great day” for these two creatures.
On its own, this post is curious and quite the tease, but let’s also take into account Comicbook.com’s report that the reception for the Godzilla vs. Kong test screening recently held was “mostly positive.” This indicates that while there’s still over half a year to go until Godzilla vs. Kong’s release, right now, things are boding quite well for the movie.
Needless to say that there’s still quite a bit of work to be done until Godzilla vs. Kong is ready for the masses, from postproduction and editing to possible reshoots. And obviously just because one test audience reacted positive to the movie for the most part doesn’t necessarily mean that the rest of the world feels similarly. Nevertheless, given all the work he’s poured into Godzilla vs. Kong, I can imagine that hearing folks’ approval is a morale boost for Adam Wingard.
Godzilla vs. Kong was first announced back in late 2015, and by May 2017, Adam Wingard was hired as its director. Cameras finally started rolling on Godzilla vs. Kong in November 2018, and principal photography wrapped last April. Back in January, Wingard said that the movie was in the “home stretch of editorial.”
This is a key movie for the MonsterVerse, and not just because it’s the first time Godzilla and King Kong are crossing paths in an American production. As of right now, no post-Godzilla vs. Kong MonsterVerse movies have been announced yet, and its predecessor, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, was met with mixed-to-negative reception and made around $386 million worldwide off a budget in the $170-$200 million range. Godzilla vs. Kong’s critical and commercial performance will surely determine the future of this franchise.
The MonsterVerse’s Godzilla was introduced in the same-named 2014 movie, while 2017’s Kong: Skull Island turned to clock back to 1973 for King Kong’s introduction. Although Kong wasn’t present for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the movie’s novelization explained why he sat those events out, and the credits revealed that various Titans were converging on Skull Island following Godzilla’s battle with King Ghidorah.
Now the two are just months away from coming to blows, and unlike in King Kong vs. Godzilla, there will be a victor this time around. Godzilla vs. Kong will also follow Monarch operatives going on a mission to learn about the Titans’ origins, as well as a human conspiracy being uncovered to eliminate all of these monstrosities.
Godzilla vs. Kong rampages into theaters on November 20, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. Look through our 2020 release schedule to figure out what other cinematic offerings arrive later this year.
