It looks like we’re going to have to wait a little longer to see the next Godzilla movie, as Warner Bros. has just pushed back the release date for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. But before you start panicking, this isn’t necessarily bad news.
The sequel to 2014’s Godzilla was initially scheduled for release on March 22, 2019, but the studio has now delayed the opening to May 31, 2019. This makes the next Godzilla film an official summer blockbuster, which you’d think would mean it will face stiffer competition at the box office. But you’d be wrong.
The movie’s original release date saw it opening just two weeks after Marvel’s Captain Marvel, one week after Jordan Peele’s Get Out follow-up Us, and one week before the opening of Disney and Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo adaptation. That’s a lot of stiff competition going after largely the same demographic as Godzilla, and it wouldn’t have given the monster movie a lot of room to breathe at the box office. The May date, however, looks like an easier road to success. With the new release date, Godzilla will largely avoid the powerful MCU, opening nearly a month after Avengers 4 bows on May 4. It will still deal with some Disney live-action competition in the form of Aladdin, which opens a week earlier on May 24, but that film is not expected to be as dark and intense as Dumbo, and should have less crossover in the demo. Finally, Godzilla will essentially get two weeks of the action-seeking demographic all to itself, as its next real competition won’t arrive until the next Men in Black movie debuts on June 14.
So even though we’ll have to wait a little longer to see Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the film’s delay is actually a good sign. It suggests that Warner Bros. really wants the movie to succeed, setting the table for the following year’s Godzilla vs. Kong, and it also expresses their confidence in the project by setting it up as their summer tentpole kickoff. So overall, Godzilla fans should be very happy about the future of the monster king at the cinema, even if it means they’ll have to wait a little longer to see him.
Of course, you can make that wait a little easier by checking out COMET’s “Monster Summer” event. Every Sunday this summer, we’re airing a double-header of classic monster movies featuring Godzilla and some of his closest (and biggest) friends, so you’ll never be left wanting for giant lizards on your TV during the warmer months. This Sunday, June 3, you can catch Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Phantom from 10,000 Leagues, and you can view the full “Monster Summer” schedule here.
