Like every good movie trailer, the newly released promo for Godzilla vs. Kong saves its biggest punch for the end. After two minutes and 20 seconds of two behemoths pummeling each other with fists, claws, spears, fiery breath and, in one scene, a smaller monster, comes the tagline: “In theatres 2021.”
And like every bad trailer, that final line is a bit of a cheat. Sure, Warner Bros.’ newest monster mash – technically the fourth chapter in the studio’s MonsterVerse, after the Godzilla reboot (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) — is opening in cinemas around the globe on March 26.
But with only a handful of theatres open in this part of the world, and only a handful of patrons allowed inside at a time, most North Americans are going to be watching Godzilla vs. Kong on a very small screen.
It’s a shame, because these kinds of clashes of titans were once marketed as “ONLY in theatres,” the idea being that there was no better place to experience their pulse-pounding, eye-popping spectacle. And through the pandemic, many of the more big-screen-worthy films have delayed their releases again and again, waiting for theatres to open on a large scale.
One of the first (and also one of the latest) to do so is No Time to Die , the latest James Bond outing. When COVID-19 hit, MGM and Eon Productions announced that its planned 2020 release would move to Nov. 12 from April 10, which seemed like a long push at the time. But with the second wave came news that Bond would open April 2, 2021. Last week, it was pushed again, to Oct. 8, a full 18 months from its initial date.
Warner has taken a different tactic, one unpopular with filmmakers and moviegoers alike. Rather than wait out the pandemic or even decide on a movie-by-movie basis, it announced in December that its entire 2021 slate of films would open simultaneously in theatres where available, and on HBO Max.
Canadians, with no legal access to the U.S. streaming service, can pay a relatively steep one-time fee to rent each movie through iTunes, the Cineplex store and elsewhere. Titles include The Little Things , which opens this Friday, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune , which is coming in October and may open during more back-to-normal times. Godzilla vs. Kong is releasing “in theatres” in two months, which is probably not long enough to see cinemas reopen en masse.
Large screen or small, the trailer suggests a blockbuster light on dialogue and heavy on action. The few lines in the trailer set up all you need to know: “This is our only chance. We have to take it. We need Kong. The world needs him to stop what’s coming.” We also learn there’s a little girl: “She’s the only one he’ll communicate with.” And then it’s on to fighty-punchy moments, backed by Chris Classic’s 2019 hip hop track Here We Go .
The trailer’s serious mood would seem to place the movie more in line with Godzilla: King of the Monsters , which was a critical and box-office failure, than with the more successful Kong: Skull Island , which succeeded in part thanks to its cheeky humour and attention to detail. But unless COVID clears up more quickly than anyone is predicting, the best comparison might be to the 1956 Japanese-American coproduction Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Because like that one, your TV screen will be the only place to see it.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2021
