"Godzilla vs. Kong": who is the strongest monster?
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New York (CNN Business) -
Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Hollywood has closely watched any movies that could provide insight into the potential rebirth or demise of the film industry after the pandemic has subsided.
Hollywood could finally have that movie.
It stars a radioactive lizard and a giant ape who fight for about an hour and 53 minutes.
"Godzilla vs.
Kong 'by Warner Bros. hit US theaters on Wednesday.
The film, which also airs on HBO Max, is expected to earn more than $ 20 million over the holiday weekend.
(Warner Bros., like CNN, is owned by WarnerMedia.)
That would be a pretty mediocre result in regular times, but it's enough to make the film a potentially monstrous hit, with one of the biggest box office releases of the pandemic.
And with the pace of vaccines picking up, more major movies returning to studio hours, and increased in-person attendance at movie theaters, the movie could herald better times for the troubled theater industry.
«'Godzilla vs.
Kong 'is important both financially and symbolically to a film industry that has been shaken to the core by the pandemic, "Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN Business.
"This weekend's debut provides a real-time opportunity to gauge consumer enthusiasm for a movie that truly guarantees a big-screen experience, while being available at home with just a click and a subscription."
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"Godzilla vs.
Kong »vs.
the pandemic
For Warner Bros., "Godzilla vs.
Kong ”already seems like a success.
The film opened last week in China, the world's leading film market, and made a powerful debut there earning roughly $ 70 million.
It has already made more than $ 120 million at the global box office, a great performance considering that the last film in the Warner Bros. "MonsterVerse" series was "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," which made $ 394 million in all. the world in 2019, according to Comscore (SCOR).
And that was before the pandemic.
The film's strong start in China can be seen as great news for US theater owners, who have struggled to find audiences to fill seats for more than a year.
Films such as "Tenet," "The Croods: A New Age," and "Tom & Jerry" were notable releases in the past year, but have yielded mixed results at a box office disrupted by the pandemic.
"Godzilla vs.
Kong 'is arriving just as the tide seems to be turning for moviegoers.
"Hollywood needs more popcorn movies in theaters if it is to cultivate a renaissance," according to Jeff Bock, a senior analyst at entertainment research firm Exhibitor Relations.
"The return to form is a catch-22 for the industry, as none of the big budget launches thus far have met the studio's expectations in terms of overall gross revenue," said Bock.
“To resonate with the general public, the film industry needs blockbuster content.
Pure and simple ».
Warner Bros. is in a "unique situation" as it is releasing movies in theaters and streaming, he added, because it helps "not only with theatrical display, but with its own growth in streaming."
The company announced in December that all of its 2021 movies would open in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously.
"The monstrous opening [in China] last weekend certainly helped engage potential audiences and helped continue to build buzz in North America, where theaters have been open but struggling," added Bock.
"With another great opening weekend, it will be a clear signal to the studios that audiences will not only feel safe returning to theaters, but will also support the oversized offerings this summer."
PHOTOS | Movies and series coming to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney + and more in April
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In the fourth season of "The Handmaid's Tale," June (Elisabeth Moss) is a fierce rebel leader who fights back against Gilead.
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Sophie Giraud / Hulu
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"Dolly Parton: A Tribute to MusicCares" - On a star-studded night of music and memories, a community of iconic artists honors Dolly Parton as MusiCares Person of the Year.
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"Amy Schumer Learns to Cook" Season 1: The actress / comedian and her husband, chef Chris Fischer, spend their quarantine time on Martha's Vineyard trying to help her learn to cook.
(Hulu) Food Network
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"The Mosquito Coast": Adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name, this gripping drama follows the dangerous journey of a radical idealist and brilliant inventor, Allie Fox (Justin Theroux), uprooting his family for Mexico when they suddenly find themselves fleeing the United States government.
(Apple TV +) Apple TV +
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"The Color Purple" - Based on the acclaimed novel by Alice Walker, Whoopi Goldberg plays a battered woman who yearns to reunite with her sister.
(Hulu) Michael Ochs Archives / Moviepix / Getty Images
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"Life in Color with David Attenborough" - In a new three-part series, the legendary David Attenborough travels the world from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the snowy Highlands of Scotland to reveal the extraordinary and never-before-seen shapes in that animals use color.
(Netflix) Netflix
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"Concrete Cowboy": Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin star in this story about a troubled teenager who is caught between a life of crime and his father's vibrant urban-cowgirl subculture.
(Netflix) Aaron Ricketts / Netflix
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"Bäckström" - This fearless series based on Leif GW Persson's popular Swedish crime novels follows cocky detective Evert Bäckström (Kjell Bergqvist), an occasional television expert famous for having solved 99% of all cases he has taken on.
(Acorn TV) Acorn TV
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"Frank of Ireland": Frank, a 33-year-old misanthropist and catastrophist, is convinced the world owes him.
He has a tenuous grip on reality, a single room in his mother's house, an ex he can't get over, and a loyal best friend, Doofus.
(Amazon Prime) Amazon Studios
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"Family Reunion: Part 3": The McKellans may be short on money, but the family is never short of love as they go through pain, loss and adversity of all kinds this season.
(Netflix) Netflix
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"Them" - This limited anthology series explores horror in America.
The first season, set in the 1950s, centers on a black family moving from North Carolina to an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles.
The family's idyllic home becomes ground zero where malevolent forces threaten to taunt, devastate and destroy them.
(Amazon Prime) Amazon Studios
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"Fatma": An ordinary cleaning lady commits an unexpected murder while searching for her missing husband who has just been released from prison.
His dubious underground associates soon find out what he did, and the only way to survive in this man's world is to keep killing in this thrilling series.
(Netflix) Netflix
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"Tom Clancy's Without Remorse" - Michael B. Jordan plays a Navy SEAL who uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife, in the explosive origin story of Clancy's action hero John Clark.
(Amazon Prime) Amazon Studios
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"Fly Like a Girl" - From a Lego-loving girl who includes pilots in her toy planes to a woman who helped direct shuttle missions into space, this documentary shows that women are in charge of their own destiny.
(Hulu) Indie Atlantic
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"For colored girls": Tyler Perry directed this film based on Ntozake Shange's 1975 poem about a group of black women, each of whom deals with personal conflict.
(Amazon Prime) Lions Gate / Kobal / Shutterstock
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"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" Volumes 1 and 2: May the force be with you to have time to enjoy this popular animated series.
(Disney +) Disney +
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"Go! Go! Cory Carson" Season 4: Whether it's helping friends or making new friends with Sister Chrissy, Cory is always on the go and ready for whatever adventure comes his way.
(Netflix) Netflix
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"Sasquatch" - While visiting a marijuana farm in Northern California in 1993, investigative journalist David Holthouse heard a story that still haunts him: At a nearby farm, three men were ripped limb by limb in a wild Bigfoot.
attack.
This documentary series follows Holthouse as he revisits the Redwoods 25 years later, in search of any evidence that may lead to the truth of what happened that night.
(Hulu) Hulu
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"Shameless" Season 9: The series finale finds the Gallagher family and the South Side at a crossroads, with the changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic, gentrification and aging to reconcile.
(Showtime) SHO
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"Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World": Celebrate Earth Day with this three-part series on the world's most famous teenage climate activist.
(Hulu) Courtesy of Jon Sayers © BBC Studios
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"Ice Road Truckers" Season 1: Hold the Wheel!
This reality show features truckers crossing frozen lakes and rivers in remote territories of Alaska and Canada, intent on doing their job despite the danger.
(Amazon Prime) Original Productions
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"Magical Andes" Season 2: Crossing and uniting seven South American countries, the Andes always have another landscape, adventure and story to tell.
Find out more in season two.
(Netflix) Netflix
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"Moment of Truth": The never-before-seen story behind the murder of Michael Jordan's father, James Jordan, where two teenagers, Larry Demery and Daniel Green, were charged and convicted of the crime.
The documentary series examines the initial case through the current attempted retrial of Green, who maintains his innocence.
(IMDB TV) Gary O'Brien / Charlotte Observer / TNS / Alamy Live News
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"WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $ 47 Billion Unicorn" - This documentary chronicles the rise and fall of one of the biggest corporate flares in years.
(Hulu)
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"Unhinged": Russell Crowe stars in this thriller that revolves around road rage.
(Amazon Prime) Skip Bolen / SolsticeStudios / Kobal / Shutterstock
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"Moneyball": Frustrated that his baseball team can't afford big-money players, Oakland A general manager Billy Beane opts for a bold new game-changing strategy in this sports history drama.
(Amazon Prime) Scott Rudin Productions / Kobal / Shutterstock
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"Real Housewives of New York" Season 12: Drama, drinks and a few laughs in between.
There will always be a lot in this long-running reality show.
(Hulu) Scott Eisen / Bravo
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"Salt": Angelina Jolie plays a CIA agent who flees after being accused of being a spy.
(Amazon Prime) Columbia / Kobal / Shutterstock
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"Say yes to the dress" Season 19: Finding the perfect wedding dress is not always easy, but it can be entertaining in this reality show.
(Hulu) TLC
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"Luther": Idris Elba plays DCI John Luther in this popular British crime drama.
(Starz) Des Willie / BBC America
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"A Simple Plan": Some well-known workers find millions of dollars and make a plan to keep them before things go wrong.
(Hulu) Moviestore / Shutterstock
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"The Way of the Househusband" - After disappearing from the underworld, the legendary yakuza Tatsu, "the immortal dragon", resurfaces, as a fiercely devoted husband staying home in this anime series.
(Netflix)
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"The Wedding Coach": Weddings are a beautiful reason to celebrate, but planning one is far from being a party.
After barely making it to the altar of her own wedding, comedian Jamie Lee is on a mission to help six committed couples overcome the stressful real-life challenges that come before and on the big day.
(Netflix)
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"This is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist" - In 1990, two men dressed as policemen broke into a Boston museum and stole a fortune in art.
This documentary dives deep into that audacious and notorious crime.
(Netflix)
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"Wander": Tommy Lee Jones and Aaron Eckhart star in the thriller about a detective with a traumatic past who investigates a suspicious death in the city of Wander, Texas.
(Amazon Prime) Wango Films
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"Worn Stories" - In this fun, heartfelt, and moving documentary series, real people unravel fascinating and outrageous stories around their most significant pieces of clothing.
(Netflix)
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"Doubling Down with the Derricos" Season 1: Karen and Deon Derrico let TLC cameras film home life with their 14 children, including multiple sets of babies, who according to the couple were conceived naturally.
(Hulu) TLC
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"A Night at the Museum" - Ben Stiller leads an all-star cast in this film about a night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, where he soon discovers that an ancient curse brings all the exhibits to life.
after the sun goes down.
(Disney +) Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
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"The Godfather: Part II" - A famous scene shows mob figure Frank Pentangeli lying to a Senate committee investigating organized crime in this iconic mobster movie.
(Showtime) From Paramount Pictures
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"RoboCop" - Severely injured in the line of duty, a police officer transforms himself into an experimental cyborg fighting crime in this sci-fi classic.
(Showtime) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
"A positive beacon for the industry"
Blockbusters like "F9" will be very important to the health of the film industry this mid-year.
And this summer in the Northern Hemisphere, even more than most summers, is essential for Hollywood.
Blockbusters like Disney and Marvel's "Black Widow," Universal's "F9," and Warner Bros.'s "The Suicide Squad" are set to open this summer.
If the box office totals for those movies, and others like them, are even substantial, it will be a sign to Hollywood that cinema is moving in the right direction.
And it would also show that cinemas and streaming can coexist as some movies this summer, such as "Black Widow" and "The Suicide Squad", will be available on both platforms simultaneously.
LOOK
: Marvel's "Black Widow" will debut on Disney + and in theaters at the same time
It is still too early to say what the future will look like for an industry that has just had one of its worst years.
But if "Godzilla vs.
Kong ”can follow his strong debut in China with a solid theatrical display in the United States, he can show Hollywood that there is still some roar in the movies.
"The summer movie season, for obvious reasons, was virtually non-existent in 2020, and while the summer of 2021 may be off to a late start, there is reason for optimism," Dergarabedian said.
However, he noted that vaccines are key to restoring both consumer and study confidence.
"This summer movie season may prove to be a positive beacon for the industry heading into the fall / holiday season, 2022 and beyond," he said.
Godzilla
