Godzilla vs. Kong may be the latest studio tentpole bypassing a cinema release and going straight to streaming. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix made an offer of more than $200 million for the movie. However, distributor WarnerMedia blocked the deal and is reportedly preparing an offer of its own for HBO Max.
Godzilla vs. Kong was originally due to be released in November 2020, but it’s currently scheduled for May 2021. Even if cinemas are up and running again by then, there’ll be a backlog of releases that were delayed due to the pandemic.
Directed by Adam Wingard, the movie’s all-star cast includes Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, Big Little Lies’ Alexander Skarsgård, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s Bryan Tyree Henry. It’s the fourth instalment of Legendary Picture’s Monsterverse, which began in 2014 with a reboot of Godzilla. This was followed up by 2017’s Kong: Skull Island and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
If WarnerMedia does opt for a streamer release, it wouldn’t be the only company to make that decision in light of disruption caused by the pandemic. Disney is reportedly considering Disney Plus premieres for Cruella and its live-action remakes of Pinocchio and Peter Pan after Mulan skipped a theatrical release.
Elsewhere, DCEU sequel Wonder Woman 1984 will now get a duel release on HBO Max and in cinemas, despite director Patty Jenkins previously stating that a direct to streaming release was “not even being discussed.” If this pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that nothing is ever set in stone.
While we wait for more updates on the Monsterverse, you can see what else is coming out soon with our list of upcoming movies.
