The return on investment has been strong for this franchise for nearly a decade. The movies don’t make $1 billion, but that shouldn’t be the benchmark for success. With a “Godzilla” movie, there are ample revenue streams beyond the box office such as merchandise to consider. In any event, Legendary and WB have done a good job of not letting the budgets get out of hand, even in the aftermath of the pandemic. Somehow, Wingard and Co. managed to make this one for less with seemingly more monster action. That’s commendable and should also be a sign to the rest of Hollywood: Blockbusters can be made for reasonable money.
I’m not saying no movie should cost $200 million, but that shouldn’t be the default. I’m certainly sympathetic to the pandemic adding a lot to budgets, but “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” cost nearly $300 million, dooming it from the outset. If only that were an isolated incident. “Fast X” cost even more than that, which has made the “Fast & Furious” franchise entry difficult to turn a profit. There are also recent reports that Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2” is somehow going to cost more than $300 million. How does that happen in a rational world?
The movie business is a business, and it’s not hard to see that when $200 million begins to seem reasonable, we’re in a bad place. While it’s not an exact science, the average $200 million blockbuster probably needs to make around $600 million worldwide just to break even. That’s not setting anyone up for success. That’s why it was nice to see Christopher Nolan get “Oppenheimer” made for $100 million, which proved to be a great investment by Universal.
Sadly, those stories stand out because budgets have gotten out of control. But hey, the MonsterVerse is out here getting the job done in a rational way that allows everyone to benefit. We simply love to see it.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” hits theaters on March 29, 2024.
