5 Years Ago, A Giant Monster Rematch Finally Happened After Sixty Years (And Changed a Franchise Forever)

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The only ones with life are the Star Wars and John Wick franchises as well as the continuing MCU and the new-ish DCU. But there’s an argument to be made that, of the living cinematic universes, the healthiest one at the moment is actually the MonsterVerse. And, as those who were around from the beginning know, this result was far from guaranteed at first.

What Did Godzilla vs. Kong Do For the MonsterVerse?

image courtesy of warner bros.

When Godzilla opened in the crowded 2014 summer movie season, its three-day domestic haul was just under $93.8 million. But then it didn’t have particularly strong legs, ultimately ending up with $200.6 million stateside and $324.3 million overseas. Neither tally was disastrous nor were they impressive.

To put it into context, Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla opened to $44 million in 1998. In 2014 dollars that equated to $64 million. But it ultimately had stronger legs. Not great, but stronger. In 2014 its $136.3 million domestic gross would have been about $198 million, or nearly identical to the 2014 movie’s haul. As for its overseas haul, its $242.7 million equated to $352.5 million in 2014, or about $28 million more than Gareth Edwards’ reboot.

The point is, Emmerich’s movie didn’t kick off a franchise. It certainly didn’t kick off a whole cinematic universe. And, sure, a bit part of that was the horrible reception from critics and fans, but it still serves to indicate that the MonsterVerse didn’t start out on the strongest footing. Then, five years later, Godzilla: King of the Monsters made about $138 million worldwide less than the 2014 movie. And it had a budget that was $10 million higher.

That is the exact type of sequel gross that kills a franchise. But, thankfully for the MonsterVerse and the G-fans of the world, Godzilla vs. Kong wrapped filming a month before Godzilla: King of the Monsters. It was too late to axe the universe.

It ended up being a blessing because, even though it opened right when theaters were beginning to re-open with no small amount of trepidation, Godzilla vs. Kong outgrossed King of the Monsters by $117 million, and that was with a simultaneous release on HBO Max. And, in the process, it took the first three movies of the franchise (including Kong: Skull Island, which performed about on par with Godzilla) and united them. You got King Kong, you got Godzilla, and you got a payoff on the King Ghidorah thread of the previous movie via the MonsterVerse’s take on Mechagodzilla.

What you also got was the most consistently fun movie of the franchise. And, thanks to the characters Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the most heartfelt, as well. Since this 2021 movie’s success, though, it’s seemed as though the franchise has had a hard time moving on from it. Both of the following films’ titles started or will start with Godzilla x Kong and, even on the small screen, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has relied on these two legendary kaiju.

That makes sense, because both Godzilla and King Kong are the most iconic two-hundred-foot-tall monsters under the sun, and the MonsterVerse has them under the same roof. But there’s going to need to be some diversification in who’s doing the roaring somewhere down the line. But, for now, we just have to thank Adam Wingard and his Godzilla vs. Kong for getting this whole universe locked down in the specific tone it’s stuck with ever since.

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