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The past year has been an unprecedented one, and that certainly extends to the entertainment industry. Theaters closed as it became unsafe to congregate in large groups, and countless projects were delayed as a result. And while movies like Tenet helped to open up some theaters, it failed to perform at the box office. The most recent release is Adam Wingard's Godzilla Vs. Kong, which roared into theaters with a strong opening night.
Godzilla Vs. Kong is the latest installment in the MonsterVerse, and moviegoers are excited to see the two title characters clash. While the movie is also available on HBO Max, Godzilla Vs. Kong seems like a project meant for the big screen. Perhaps the scale of the project encouraged folks to return to theaters, as it made $9.6 million domestically on last night's opening.
This number comes to us from Deadline, and seems to indicate that folks are getting more comfortable returning to theaters. While it's nowhere near the performance Godzilla Vs. Kong could have had if everything was back to "normal", $9.6 million is the biggest opening night since the pandemic began. We'll just have to see how much money the project continues to make over the coming days.
With Godzilla Vs. Kong already in theaters and performing at the box office, it should be interesting to see how much money it ultimately makes. We're going into a holiday weekend, which is typically a popular time for moviegoers to catch a screening. And since the Kaiju rumble was made for the big screen, it's a project that seems to be encouraging folks to mask up and head to the theater for the first time in months.
Godzilla Vs. Kong is currently available on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
The release of Godzilla Vs. Kong is made more complicated since Warner Bros. is putting out the project on HBO Max as well as in theaters. As such, it's unclear how the studio will be judging the movie's success. Will it merely be the box office, or will Adam Wingard's latest also be evaluated by how many new users join HBO Max?
Godzilla Vs. Kong was originally supposed to arrive in theaters back in November 2020, but it was one of the countless projects pushed back as a result of global health concerns. Given the movie's massive budget, the pressure was seemingly on to deliver-- especially following the somewhat disappointing performance of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Of course, the entire industry is currently functioning in new ways, as seen by Warner Bros.' two-prong release strategy with HBO Max.
The critical response to Godzilla Vs. Kong has been much kinder than its predecessor, so we'll have to see if fans have the same reaction to the behemoth blockbuster. Adam Wingard kept the runtime brisk, while also adding much more color than Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Hopefully Warner Bros. is happy with the new movie's performance, and more installments in the MonsterVerse will come as a result.
Godzilla Vs. Kong is currently available in theaters and on HBO Max. Be sure to check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.
