Quick readers poll. Should I go to tonight’s press screening of “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire”? I’m on the fence. I have zero expectations for Adam Wingard’s movie, and 2021’s “Godzilla vs Kong” was incoherent and idiotic. The only reason I’d attend tonight is to report back with my thoughts.
Regardless, Deadline is reporting that “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” is projected to earn a whopping $135 million worldwide this coming weekend, including $50 million domestically. These numbers are great and further guarantee more of these films will get greenlit. Wingard has hinted that he wants to turn it into a trilogy.
Some folks love these brainless monster movies, I’m just not one of them. First reactions from last night’s L.A. premiere have not raised my expectations either — the positive takes, like all first reactions on X, read like pure hyperbole (“It’s a MONSTER good time”).
It’s a real shame that Wingard, whom I’ve interviewed in the past, has decided to expend all of his creative energy on silly Kaijus and monsters. Remember, this is the same guy who showed great potential with 2011’s “You’re Next” and 2014’s “The Guest.”
This fifth entry in the Monsterverse franchise follows up the showdown of “Godzilla vs. Kong” as the titular beasts face off against a new threat: Scar King, an orange simian Titan backed up by an army of savage apes. I feel like I lost a few brain cells writing up this paragraph.
The sequel stars Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen, Rachel House and Brian Tyree Henry. It’s set to hit theaters on March 29.