Even though we haven’t seen a single shred of official footage from Godzilla vs. Kong yet, based on what we’ve heard, the movie is now in much better shape than it was a few months ago. The latest installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse was originally set to be released in March, but was delayed by eight months after an early test screening reportedly didn’t go down too well with the studio, who subsequently ordered some extensive reshoots to get the mega-budget monster mash up to scratch.
Director Adam Wingard will be hoping that Godzilla vs. Kong is now shaping up to be the movie that both fans and the higher-ups at Legendary want it to be, with early reactions to a post-reshoot screening claiming that it could well be the best entry in the franchise yet. Which is good news, because following the disappointing critical and commercial response to Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the clash of cinema’s two most iconic kaiju is under huge pressure to deliver, with the success of the entire MonsterVerse seemingly dependent on it being a success.
However, a new report claims that Godzilla vs. Kong could end up getting delayed once again, although this time it has nothing to do with the quality of the movie. After the Coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the entertainment industry, Hollywood’s release schedule looks a lot different now than it did back in March, and Legendary’s parent company Warner Bros. are said to be concerned about the increased amount of box office competition that their make-or-break blockbuster could face in November.
With the MCU’s Black Widow, Pixar’s Soul and the latest James Bond movie No Time to Die having all been rescheduled for the same month, the higher-ups are now considering moving Godzilla vs. Kong to the May 2021 date recently vacated by The Matrix 4. Nothing’s been confirmed just yet, but there’s an awful lot riding on the success of the MonsterVerse’s newest addition and it would make sense to try and avoid three high-profile movies that are set to compete for the exact same audience during the same month by moving somewhere a little less crowded to maximize its earning potential.