Two weeks ago, Amazon accidentally leaked the release date for the art book for Godzilla vs Kong pushing it back from November 2020 to May 2021. There were people that speculated that it was only the art book getting delayed and not the movie, but others (as well as myself) were convinced that this was a sign that the movie was going to get delayed since the art books always releases next to the movie. Yesterday evening, Deadline, Legendary Pictures, and the movie's director, Adam Wingard, officially broke the news that Godzilla vs Kong will be delayed to May 21, 2021, which was the original release date for The Matrix 4.
I will admit that it is kind of a bummer that we have to wait another year to see the ultimate showdown between the world's iconic monsters. Especially when we are finally getting a little bit of info such as the two new plot summaries on IMDB, the movie's status changed from "in-production" to "completed", and the announcement of Tom Holkenborg composing the soundtrack for Godzilla vs Kong. Everything just seemed like it was leading up to a big announcement in July. Yet, I was anticipating and talking about this delay to happen for months.
The COVID-19 pandemic has done some real harm to the entertainment industry. Going back to the movie theaters would be a real struggle for many people, especially in November when the weather starts getting cold, which makes it easier for the virus to spread.
On top of that, there are other movies that have moved to November such as No Time To Die, Soul, and Black Widow that could potentially hurt Godzilla vs Kong in the box office. If Godzilla: King Of The Monsters couldn't handle Avengers: End Game, Aladdin, and The Lion King there was no way Godzilla vs Kong can take on James Bond and the two Disney movies in November.
Then, there were the release date changes for the movie's art book that happened on Amazon two weeks ago. This has set off a huge red flag for everybody as it was taken as a sign that something behind the scenes was happening and it wasn't looking good. However, there were people that were convinced that it was only the art book that was getting delayed because the art book for Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker was delayed months after the movie was released. I argued that every studio has their own way of releasing these books and the art books for the Monsterverse has always been consistent in releasing them side by side with the movie release.
Others argued that the movie can't be delayed because the rights for Godzilla ends in 2021 and my response was that TOHO Co. and Warner Bros. can have talks for an extension. There was no way that TOHO Co. and Warner Bros. would allow a big budget movie just sit on a shelf and collect dust just because the rights for Godzilla expired and they need Godzilla vs Kong to bring in some profit at the box office. With November being completely full with other bigger name titles and the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19, Godzilla vs Kong would have been nuked at the box office. The movie would have not have survived the first weekend.
I do think that Warner Bros. and Legendary should give the fans something with this delay. Godzilla vs Kong was originally going to release last year, but got pushed to March 2020 because of Godzilla: King Of The Monsters being delayed. Then, the movie was delayed again to November 2020 since the movie was still in production and wouldn't have been ready in time for release. Now, this is the third time Godzilla vs Kong is delayed, the movie is mostly complete minus the soundtrack, and with "Comic Con @ Home" coming in July 22nd I think this would be a good time for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures to show people something as an appreciation the long wait. It can be a thirty second teaser trailer, a new poster, or photos of the movie. Just something small until the first trailer is released.
What are your thoughts on the delay? Do you think this was a smart move or do you think this was a bad idea? Leave a comment in the comments section on your thoughts on Godzilla vs Kong being delayed a third time. Make sure to follow me on my Facebook, Twitter, and Minds pages to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions.