Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Dougherty
Screenplay by
  • Michael Dougherty
  • Zach Shields
Story by
Based onGodzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan
by Toho Co., Ltd
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLawrence Sher
Edited by
Music byBear McCreary
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • May 13, 2019 (2019-05-13) (Beijing)
  • May 31, 2019 (2019-05-31) (United States)
Running time
132 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[b]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$170–200 million[c]
Box office$387.3 million[10]

Godzilla: King of the Monsters[d] is a 2019 American[b] monster film directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty. Produced by Legendary Pictures[a] and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a sequel to Godzilla (2014) and the third film in the Monsterverse. It is also the 35th film in the Godzilla franchise, and the third Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio.[e] The film stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O'Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi. In the film, eco-terrorists release King Ghidorah, who awakens other monsters known as "Titans" across the world, forcing Godzilla and Mothra to surface and engage Ghidorah and Rodan in a decisive battle.

The sequel was greenlighted during the opening weekend of Godzilla, with Gareth Edwards expected to return to direct a trilogy. In May 2016, Edwards left the project. In October 2016, Dougherty and Shields were hired to rewrite the script. In January 2017, Dougherty was announced as the director. Principal photography began in June 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, and wrapped in September 2017. The film is dedicated to executive producer Yoshimitsu Banno (director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah) and original Godzilla suit performer Haruo Nakajima, both of whom died in 2017.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was theatrically released on May 31, 2019, to mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its visual effects, action sequences, cinematography, and musical score but with criticism to the plot, pacing, tone and characters.[21][22] The film was a box office disappointment,[9][23][24] grossing $387.3 million worldwide against a production budget between $170–200 million and marketing costs between $100–150 million,[12][13] marking it the lowest-grossing film in the Monsterverse.[25]

A sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong, was released on March 24, 2021.


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBFC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference VarietyReview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Kim Newman (May 28, 2019). "'Godzilla King Of The Monsters': Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FinalCredits was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference HuahuaStake was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "'Godzilla' studio Toho to co-produce content with foreign filmmakers". Nikkei Asia. January 13, 2018. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Atlanta was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MexicoCityOppurtunity was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Hibberd, James (August 14, 2019). "The 17 biggest summer box office winners and losers of 2019". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Opening was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference marketing and budget was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference VarietyBudget was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference InternationalTitle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference IndiaRelease was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cain, Rob (November 30, 2017). "3 Reasons China's $8 Billion Wanda Qingdao Studio Is A Bust". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Chow, Vivienne (April 28, 2018). "Wanda Mega-Studio Opens With Minimal Fanfare, Missing Hollywood Movies". Variety. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  18. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 25.
  19. ^ Ryfle 1998, p. 121.
  20. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 84.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference CinemaBlendReviews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference Best and Worse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 17, 2019). "With 'Good Liar' and 'Doctor Sleep,' Warner Bros.' Box Office Misfortunes Mount". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  24. ^ Mendelson, Scott (June 3, 2019). "'Godzilla: King Of The Monsters' Is A Terrifying Box Disappointment". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  25. ^ Kruske, Kyle (October 4, 2023). "Godzilla vs. Kong: Every MonsterVerse Movie, Ranked by Box Office Results". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.