Summary
- Hideo Kojima gives a glowing review of
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
, praising its authentic monster movie action and growth. - The film breaks $500M at the box office worldwide, hinting at the continuation of the MonsterVerse with more potential sequels.
- Fans hail Kojima’s review as a big win for the franchise as Godzilla and Kong’s popularity continues to grow on the big screen.
The debut of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in Japan has finally brought the MonsterVerse’s latest offering to the home country of the kaiju. That has led iconic video game creator Hideo Kojima – who has also become well-known for sharing his very succinct views on new movies – to give his verdict on the monster mash-up movie. It seems that, like many fans around the world, for Kojima, the latest addition to the blockbuster franchise is a hit.
Sharing his views on his X/Twitter account, Kojima was full of praise for Adam Wingard’s latest foray into the MonsterVerse, so much so that he delivered one of his longest reviews of any movie in a long while. He said:
“I watched “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” It was a monster movie from “Toho Champion Festival” that I was crazy about as a child. It reminded me of the “speech bubbles” between Godzilla and Anguirus in “Godzilla vs. Gigan”. If you can take something borrowed from Toho this far, that’s impressive. While many Godzilla movies cannot escape from the spell of “Godzilla (1954),” this film is a genuine monster movie that depicts monster action, monster battles, and their growth and drama without too much human drama. It is typical in yakuza films for rivals to join forces for a time in the face of a powerful enemy, but the hints of friendship in this film are very touching. In a sense, it’s no lie that it “crosses the line.” The tone of the film can be understood by watching Kong suffering from a toothache at the beginning of the film.”
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
1.5/5
- Release Date
- March 29, 2024
- Runtime
- 115 Minutes
- Studio
- Legendary Entertainment, Screen Queensland, Warner Bros.
- Tagline
- Bow to your new king.
Fans of Kojima, and the Warner Bros. franchise, hailed the review as a “big win” for the MonsterVerse, and it cannot really be understated that is not just big…it is kaiju-sized. For the future of the franchise, this is just another sign that Godzilla and Kong have some way to run on the big screen in their meaty, popcorn-fodder outings.
Godzilla x Kong Has Smashed Through Another Huge Box Office Milestone
Over the past weekend, thanks to the Japanese launch of the film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has now broken through the $500 million mark worldwide. There was always an expectation that he film would prove to be a box office behemoth based off the performance of its predecessor. Godzilla vs. Kong hit cinemas in 2021, but was also released on VOD at the same time due to the Covid pandemic. Despite the timing of the release, the movie ended its theatrical run on a gross of $470 million, including $100.9 million from its domestic sales.
5 Ways Godzilla x Kong Sets up a Son of Kong Sequel
The success of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire likely means the continuation of the MonsterVerse, potentially with a Son of Kong movie.
This time around, as part of its total haul – which at time of writing stands at $519 million – the MonsterVerse movie is heading towards doubling the domestic takings of Godzilla vs. Kong, having taken over $181 million. This is certainly good news for Wingard, who has already hinted that he has ideas for the next movie, but also for the franchise itself as it continues to grow with the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series getting the green-light for a second season and more spin-offs being masterminded as we speak.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
is still playing in theaters.
