The bar has been set. If Warner Bros. is willing to open Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max, then their other blockbusters have to be up for grabs. And that appears to be the case for Godzilla vs. Kong, which the studio has been trying to negotiate a streaming release.
THR has the news of Warner Bros. taking offers from streaming outlets for Godzilla vs. Kong, which is currently set to open theatrically on May 21st 2021. Netflix came with the highest offer of $200M, which is a ton of money, but wouldn’t even cover the cost of production. Instead, the film may go to WarnerMedia who would want it to be part of HBO Max.
To clear up any confusion, Warner Bros. Pictures is an entity of WarnerMedia, but their projects are different and so are their budgets and financing. Basically, no matter where Godzilla vs. Kong goes it needs to be paid for, even within the same media empire.
Officially the fourth film in Warner Bros. MonsterVerse, it follows 2014’s Godzilla which made $529M worldwide, 2017’s Kong: Skull Island with $566M, and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters with $386M. Note the big drop in box office, which suggests that it could be tough for Godzilla vs. Kong to break out in a crowded 2021 field.
Then again, those other movies aren’t promising an epic showdown of the ages, are they?
Be that as it may, this would be a smart way for WarnerMedia to lure subscribers to HBO Max, while at the same time balancing the books. Don’t be surprised if this happens.
