The Toho Company
According to Variety, Godzilla making $93m (and $103m more outside the US) in its opening weekend is enough for Warner Bros. and Legendary to partner up on a sequel. A franchise has officially been born, and since franchises no longer die (see: Spider-Man et al.), that means Godzilla is going to be staring hungrily at buildings and trains for years to come. Just look at that face. He’s practically drooling.
Of course, another 60 years of movies is a nice present for the misunderstood monster’s 60th birthday.
Fortunately, even though our reviewer wasn’t a big fan, most people seem happy with the latest outing, particularly the last 30 minutes. Particularly coming off the 1998 disaster, Gareth Edwards has crafted something impressive.
Now, since we’re bound to see Godzilla 2 (hopefully versus Batman) in 2017, there’s a full range of older enemies for him to face, the small possibility of the filmmakers coming up with new enemies and the fan-favorite impossibility of a Pacific Rim crossover. Since we only know that the wheels are turning, there are plenty of questions for the franchise to face. Whether or not they’ll stick with Edwards or if he’ll move on to a movie that isn’t based on terrifying beasties being the first on the list.
Second on the list is what will happen if Godzilla’s box office take drops the same way Amazing Spider-Man 2 did in its second weekend. Granted, we’re getting a sequel for it, too.
It’s unlikely anyone will be angry about a new take on this long-running (often schlocky) franchise, especially because a second modern incarnation means a greater possibility for a Godzilla movie featuring more than an hour of Godzilla footage. It also gives us a little time to hide our buildings and trains.
