Even though Godzilla: King of the Monsters has yet to hit theaters, its sequel Godzilla vs. Kong just finished principal photography and is already pencilled in for a 2020 release. According to Legendary CEO Joshua Grode though, these films are just the beginning of what he foresees as an entire monster universe.
“I hope [we make] a lot [of additional Godzilla movies]. I hope the gas tank is full,” he said. The studio clearly has a lot of faith that these star-studded action films are going to rake in money at the box office and it seems that Goode and his colleagues are picturing a cinematic universe that resembles the likes of Marvel.
With the two aforementioned flicks already in the pipeline and several more being discussed, it remains to be seen if Godzilla: King of the Monsters can live up to all of the hype. If not, then there isn’t much they can do but hope that the expensive follow-up somehow does better.
Right now, experts are predicting that the soon-to-be-released monster mash-up will do well at the box office, but likely nowhere near the projections that Legendary has in mind. The latest Godzilla film will have to compete with the Elton John biopic Rocketman, which is expected to draw in a decent crowd following the success of the Academy Award-winning Bohemian Rhapsody.
Franchises are all the rage now in Hollywood and justifiably so. After all, every studio wants to establish a perennial moneymaker of their own. Still, it remains to be seen if the MonsterVerse is that for Legendary or if all of these lavish plans will prove to be very premature.
Audiences won’t have to wait long to find out if Goode’s plans pan out though, as Godzilla: King of the Monsters is set to hit theaters on May 31st, 2019 with Godzilla vs. Kong scheduled for a March 13th, 2020 release.
