Godzilla vs. Kong

This article is about the 2021 film. For the 1962 film, see King Kong vs. Godzilla.

Godzilla vs. Kong
Release poster
Directed byAdam Wingard
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onGodzilla and Mechagodzilla
by Toho Co., Ltd
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBen Seresin
Edited byJosh Schaeffer
Music byTom Holkenborg
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 24, 2021 (2021-03-24) (International)
  • March 31, 2021 (2021-03-31) (United States)
Running time
113 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$155–200 million[a]
Box office$470.1 million[9]

Godzilla vs. Kong is a 2021 American monster film directed by Adam Wingard. Produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a sequel to Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), and is the fourth film in the Monsterverse. It is also the 36th film in the Godzilla franchise, the 12th film in the King Kong franchise, and the fourth Godzilla film to be completely produced by an American film studio.[b] The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Lance Reddick, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir. Brown and Chandler reprise their roles from the previous Godzilla film. In the film, Kong clashes with Godzilla after humans move the ape from Skull Island to the Hollow Earth, homeworld of the monsters known as "Titans", to retrieve a power source for a secret weapon intended to stop Godzilla's mysterious attacks.

The project was announced in October 2015 when Legendary Pictures declared plans for a shared cinematic universe between Godzilla and King Kong. The film's writers' room was assembled in March 2017, and Wingard was announced as the director in May 2017. Principal photography began in November 2018 in Hawaii, Australia, and Hong Kong, and wrapped in April 2019.

After being delayed from a November 2020 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Godzilla vs. Kong was theatrically released internationally on March 24, 2021, and in the United States on March 31, where it was released on HBO Max simultaneously. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the visual effects and action sequences, but criticism towards the human characters. It broke several pandemic box office records, and grossed $470 million worldwide, against a production budget between $155–200 million and a break-even point of $330 million, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2021. The film was a streaming hit, becoming the most successful launch title in HBO Max's history until it was overtaken by Mortal Kombat.[13]

A sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, was released on March 29, 2024, with Wingard returning as director.

  1. ^ Debruge, Peter (March 29, 2021). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Review: You'll Want to See This Titan Throwdown on the Biggest Screen Possible". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022. A Warner Bros. Pictures release, presented with Legendary Pictures, of a Legendary Pictures production.
  2. ^ "Godzilla vs. Kong". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  3. ^ "Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Rubin, Rebecca; Lang, Brent (December 7, 2020). "'Dune' Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal". Variety. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020. Legendary financed a significant portion of "Dune," which cost roughly $175 million, and "Godzilla vs. Kong," which carries a price tag around $160 million.
  5. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (December 7, 2020). "'Dune' and 'Godzilla vs Kong' Producer Legendary Considers Lawsuit Against Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal". The Wrap. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020. Warner believes it has the right to shift to streaming under its existing distribution agreement with Legendary, according to one insider, but most of the risk of the $165 million "Godzilla" movie lies with the producer, not the studio.
  6. ^ Masters, Kim; Kit, Borys (January 8, 2021). "Warner Bros., Legendary Nearing Deal to Resolve Clash Over 'Godzilla vs. Kong' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  7. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 15, 2021). "'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Jumps Up To March In HBO Max & Theatrical Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference CS Visit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 25.
  11. ^ Ryfle 1998, p. 121.
  12. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 84.
  13. ^ Tran, Kevin (May 3, 2021). "Did 'Mortal Kombat' Do More for HBO Max Than 'Godzilla vs. Kong'?". Variety. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.


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