Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Hollywood has kept a close eye on any movie that could give some insights into the film industry’s potential renaissance or demise after the pandemic has abated.
Hollywood may now finally have that film. It stars a radioactive lizard and a giant ape that fight for roughly an hour and 53 minutes. Warner Bros.’ » Godzilla vs. Kong » hits domestic theaters on Wednesday. The film, which will also stream on HBO Max, is expected to make north of $20 million over the holiday weekend. (Warner Bros., like CNN, is owned by WarnerMedia.) That would be a pretty lackluster result in regular times but it’s enough to make the movie a potential monster hit, with one of the biggest box office openings of the pandemic. And with the pace of vaccinations ramping up, more big films returning to studios’ schedules and in-person attendance at movie theaters growing, the film could be a harbinger of better times for the beleaguered theater industry. « ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ is important both financially and symbolically for a movie theater industry that has been shaken to its core by the pandemic, » Paul Degarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN Business. « This weekend’s debut provides a real-time opportunity to gauge consumer enthusiasm for a film that truly warrants a big-screen experience, while also being available at home just a click and a subscription away. » « Godzilla vs. Kong » vs. the pandemic For Warner Bros., « Godzilla vs. Kong » already looks like a success. The film opened last week in China, the top movie market in the world, and had a powerful debut there earning roughly $70 million.
