On March 31, Godzilla vs. Kong, which was previously supposed to be released in November 2020, finally premiered in theaters, though like the rest of Warner Bros’ 2021 film slate, HBO Max subscribers were also able to watch it at no additional cost. Nearly three months later, the fourth MonsterVerse movie has finally crossed a big box office milestone: surpassing $100 million in the United States.
To be clear, it’s not like Godzilla vs. Kong has been commercially struggling worldwide since it was released to the masses. As of this writing, Godzilla vs. Kong has hauled in $342 million internationally, and now that it has finally collected over $100 million stateside, the movie’s global total currently sits at approximately $442.5 million. Plus, Godzilla vs. Kong got off to an impressive start in the United States, with $32 million flowing in domestically on its opening weekend (which, at the time, was a pandemic best). However, the monster movie eventually stalled out at around $98 million; so close to the $100 million mark, yet having trouble hitting that milestone for a while.
Now Variety reports that Godzilla vs. Kong’s domestic total rests at $100.113 million after playing in theaters for 12 weeks and finally pulling in the necessary $220,000. This is only the second movie to surpass $100 million domestically during the pandemic, with A Quiet Place: Part II previously accomplishing that during its first 15 days. It should be noted, though, that unlike Godzilla vs. Kong during its first month, A Quiet Place: Part II is playing exclusively in theaters, although it will head to Paramount+ after 45 days on the big screen.
Set five years after the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (which only scored $386.6 million worldwide), Godzilla vs. Kong finally set the two eponymous characters on a cinematic collision course for the first time since 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla. The main cast included Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza González, Shun Oguri, Julian Dennison and Demián Bichir. Blair Witch’s Adam Wingard directed the MonsterVerse flick, and Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein worked on the script.
Before Godzilla vs. Kong came out, it was unclear if the MonsterVerse would keep going after its release. However, given the movie’s strong commercial performance and solid amount of positive critical reception, it looks like Warner Bros and Legendary are keen on continuing the franchise. While another MonsterVerse installment hasn’t been officially greenlit yet, it was reported that Adam Wingard was being courted to return, with Son of Kong being one of the potential ideas for him to tackle. Given that Wingard has projects like Face/Off 2 and a Thundercats movie in the works, it’s unclear when he’d be able to return to the MonsterVerse (assuming a deal is reached), but at least this gives fans of the franchise hope for the mythology to keep expanding.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates concerning Godzilla vs. Kong and the rest of the MonsterVerse. In the meantime, look through our 2021 movies schedule to plan your trips to the theater later this year accordingly.
