It looks like Godzilla Vs. Kong will be the next major tentpole to forgo a theatrical release and head straight to streaming.
It's been a long time since we had an official update on Adam Wingard's King of the Monsters follow-up, which had naturally led to the assumption that the movie had been pushed back and would hit theatres later in 2021, or sometime in 2022. However, THR now reports that a streaming debut is more likely.
According to the trade, Netflix put in an offer of more than $200 million for the film, which WarnerMedia blocked as they prepare a counteroffer for the rights to send it to HBO Max. Legendary declined to comment, but a Warner Bros. spokesperson said: "We plan to release Godzilla vs. Kong theatrically next year as scheduled."
Could the movie ultimately end up following Wonder Woman 1984's lead and release in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time? WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and WB chairman Ann Sarnoff are said to be working on an offer that will allow for a streaming release that "also includes a theatrical component," so it sounds like a definite possibility.
Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Shun Oguri, Jessica Henwick and Brian Tyree Henry, Godzilla Vs. Kong pits the two famous monsters against each other in an epic battle. Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok) and Max Borenstein (The Terror) wrote the screenplay.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.