On August 30th, it was announced that the partnership between Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. had expired and Legendary was shopping around for a new distributor to call home. The top two candidates were Sony and Paramount. At this time, many were wondering who will Legendary pick and what it would mean for the Monsterverse. On November 28th, it was revealed Legendary Entertainment will be partnering with Sony.
In an article by The Hollywood Reporter it reads. "Legendary Entertainment – Hollywood's high-profile producer and co-financier of big-budget studio fare – has found a new home at Sony Pictures.
Under the terms of the deal, Legendary's movies will be distributed and marketed globally by Sony, excluding China, where Legendary East will handle those duties. Sony will also handle home entertainment and TV distribution for those films. Sony does not have a streaming service, and Legendary will continue to partner with other companies for streaming, as it has with Netflix on the Enola Holmes films.
The pact does not include the Dune and Godzilla franchises, which will continue to be released by Warner Bros., Legendary's previous partner. Dune: Part Two is due out from Warners on Nov. 3, 2023."
To recap, I predicted the Monsterverse will stay with Warner Bros. as it is the only property that is actually making money for them outside of Batman and the DCEU (now restructured as the DCU) had been struggling to catch up with Marvel. Also, last time Legendary partnered with a different distributor the Monsterverse stayed with Warner Bros. as well. It looks like my prediction on the Monsterverse staying with WB was correct.
What I found kind of perturbing is Legendary's CEO Joshua Grode gloating about how Sony's commitment to theatrical distribution and the partnership aligns with their vision. Then, they continue saying they are grateful to have had Warner Bros. as a partner over the many years. That is like rubbing salt on an old wound and putting a band-aid over it.
I have said it time and time again (and will continue to do so), WarnerMedia is only partly at fault for blindly announcing to release these movies last year on HBO Max the same day as their theatrical release. I sense this is a knee jerk reaction as Legendary Entertainment was about to make a distribution deal with Netflix to release Godzilla vs Kong on that streaming service and WarnerMedia put a stop to it last minute. Remember, Warner has always been the main distributor for the Monsterverse movies. To go behind Warner's back to give Netflix Godzilla vs Kong was basically Legendary violating the distribution agreement that WB and Legendary had. While WarnerMedia could have and should have communicated with Legendary and all of their other partners ahead of time on the same day and date release, Legendary's move to sell Godzilla vs Kong to Netflix may have very well been the catalyst for WB to move forward and release all of the movies on HBO Max.
Right now, the fifth Monsterverse film Godzilla And Kong has wrapped up filming in New Zealand and KDM has reported the film crew are now on their way to Morocco. When we look on the Titan map, it shows that Titanus Baphomet rules this area. Could we finally see this Titan in live action or will he be absent? And if Baphomet does appear, what role could this monster play? With the idea of potentially seeing Behemoth in Brazil and now Baphomet it makes me wonder if this is resulting in another monster uprising like in Godzilla: King of the Monsters or if something is hunting down these Titans.
What are your thoughts on the Monsterverse staying with Warner Bros.? Do you think this is the right decision or do you think Legendary should have given it to Sony as their new distributor? Do you think we will see Titanus Baphomet in Godzilla And Kong? Leave a comment in the comments section of your thoughts on the Monsterverse staying with Warner Bros. Make sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Minds, MeWe, Gab, and TRUTH Social to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions.