King Kong Vs. Godzilla: 10 Reasons You Should Be Excited
7. It's Risky
It may not seem like it at first glance, but WB and Legendary took a pretty big gamble in their attempt to reintroduce Godzilla to mainstream audiences. Not only was the last attempt in 1998 a failure both critically and commercially, but Godzilla himself is kind of a hard sell for many people who cant separate the character from its cheesy B-movie roots. This also applies to giant monster movies in general, a genre whose popularity peaked decades ago. The domestic failings of Pacific Rim proved this, as despite being a fantastic new addition to the genre, it initially failed to appeal to those outside its niche, at least in the US. Luckily, last years Godzilla paid off enough to guarantee at least one sequel. And now, thanks to the move from Universal to WB, should Kong: Skull Island prove successful, a new King Kong vs. Godzilla as well. But even the success of Godzilla 2014, which was modest in part to mixed word of mouth, doesnt guarantee that this match up will be. What we are seeing right now is an attempted resurgence of the genre, and it is the ability of these next upcoming films to ensure their existence going into the future. And given all the other media franchises vying for our attention, its success is by no means ensured. However, remember that Marvel built an empire by taking similar risks, and while its doubtful these monster movies will ever quite reach their popularity or commercial success, its a gamble that will hopefully pay off and help diversify the modern day blockbuster landscape.
