Godzilla vs. Kong has set an HBO Max viewership record, beating out Zack Snyder's Justice League and Wonder Woman 1984. The new MonsterVerse film has been in the business of setting records. It had a huge international debut of over $120 million. Domestically, as well as worldwide, it surpassed Wonder Woman 1984's box office.
In retrospect, Legendary and Warner Bros.' marketing approach to Godzilla vs. Kong was for the best. It took a while for the first trailer, but because of that, there was a wave of anticipation for when it would finally drop. The trailer released and instantly became a big discussion point across social media. Plus, Legendary was able to keep momentum for the following two months, with new footage and merchandise being announced. The debut trailer has amassed over 82 million views, which is higher than the official trailer views for Wonder Woman 1984 and Tenet combined. Clearly, many people were ready for 2021's first big event film. If Godzilla vs. Kong had been negatively received, all this could be a moot point. But, the film has been praised across social media. Although its Rotten Tomatoes score has dipped, it's still Certified Fresh.
Everyone's talking about Godzilla vs. Kong's theatrical performance, but it's important to remember the film launched domestically on HBO Max as well. Sadly, no concrete streaming numbers have been shared. However, HBO Max (via THR) says the film set a record as having the highest four-day debut viewership of any film or series in the streaming service's history. This means it had higher viewership numbers than the first four days of Zack Snyder's Justice League and Wonder Woman 1984.
It's not surprising Godzilla vs. Kong has set an HBO Max viewership record. In comparison to Zack Snyder's Justice League, it's also not surprising the MonsterVerse showdown surpassed it. The director's cut of Justice League was a big deal, but the excitement surrounding it probably wouldn't compare to the general hype levels for an event film like Godzilla vs. Kong. Also, because of its lengthy 4-hour runtime, it's not easy to re-watch, as opposed to Godzilla vs. Kong's brisk under two hours run. Last week, Snyderverse fans review bombed Godzilla vs. Kong, although IMDB has since removed those reviews.
Although it's good to see Godzilla vs. Kong getting high viewership on streaming, it's interesting to consider how the box office would be with no HBO Max option. A domestic opening week run of almost $50 million is an excellent number in the pandemic era. But, would the film's box office gross be higher, and propelled past $300 million worldwide by now, if it wasn't streaming on HBO Max as well? Maybe, but many fans are also happy to have the option to watch at home. Next year, things return to a sense of normalcy for Warner Bros.' film releases, albeit with a shorter theatrical window than in the past.
Source: THR