Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Godzilla Vs. Kong Likely To Skip Theaters And Head Straight To Streaming

Official plot details for Godzilla vs. Kong have been tough to come by unless you’ve been keeping your eye on all the tie-in merchandise, which is where most of the spoilers seem to be stemming from. But we’ve still got a ways to go before the pic arrives, so there’s lots of time for Warner Bros. to spill the beans and tease what they have planned for the latest installment in the MonsterVerse, which arrives on its fifth and likely final release date next May.

There’s a lot riding on the movie, too, after extensive reshoots were ordered following a test screening that drew mixed reactions from audiences. Thankfully, more recent showings indicate that Godzilla vs. Kong has been improved quite a bit by the additional shooting and at the moment, it’s safe to say that it’s one of 2021’s most-anticipated releases, one which could make or break the future of the entire franchise.

But in a somewhat surprising turn of events, it now seems as if audiences will have to be content with watching the movie at home rather than on the big screen, as a new report claims that it might be following in Wonder Woman 1984‘s footsteps and heading to streaming. Specifically, HBO Max – which only makes sense given who owns the platform.

Apparently, Netflix wanted to snag the rights and even offered $200 million for them, but WarnerMedia blocked the deal as they’re apparently planning to bring the movie to the aforementioned site instead. The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the story, say that WB maintains that they plan to release it in theaters still, but the outlet has heard differently, and frankly, we have no reason to doubt them.

As THR explains:

Godzilla vs. Kong, the fourth entry in the series, is slated for a May 21, 2021 opening but it is far from clear that U.S. theaters will be fully back in business by then and even if they are, the studios face a pile-up of major releases that were pushed due to the pandemic. Meanwhile Legendary is stuck with the cost of carrying an unreleased big-budget film. Though Warner Bros. has only a 25 percent stake in the movie, it controls the release.

Given that Godzilla vs. Kong is basically designed to be seen on the biggest screen you can find, it’d be a real shame if it had to miss out on a theatrical release, but it certainly sounds like that’s a real possibility. And if it does indeed end up going straight to streaming, you can bet that a lot – and we do mean a lot – more blockbusters will follow suit.



from Movies – We Got This Covered https://ift.tt/366JkjF
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