As of today, “Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire” is not only the second highest-grossing film of the year, but also rose to the top spot on the Video on Demand (VOD) chart immediately after its digital release in the United States on the 14th. The movie has confirmed the screenwriter for its sequel, but today there are reports that the director will not be returning to helm the sequel.
According to IndieWire, “Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire” has topped the charts in both transaction volume on the US iTunes network TV and revenue from Fandango’s Video on Demand media. Despite audiences being able to watch the film at home, “Godzilla vs. Kong” continues to thrive at the box office, accumulating a global box office revenue of $564 million, trailing only about $5 million behind the series’ “Kong: Skull Island.”
Hollywood Reporter has stated that although the scriptwriter for the sequels of “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” has been confirmed to be Dave Callaham earlier in May, today there are reports that director Adam Wingard will not be returning to direct the sequel of “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
Multiple insiders have revealed that Legendary Pictures wanted the next film to be released as soon as possible, but due to Wingard’s schedule constraints, they have officially parted ways this week. However, it’s described as an amicable departure, and the door remains open for Wingard to return to direct monster movies in the future. Reportedly, Wingard is currently preparing to shoot the action film “Onslaught” for A24 in the fall, which is why he cannot direct the sequel.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is already the lowest-budget and highest-grossing film in the series. Collider predicts that the film is poised to surpass the global box office of “Kong: Skull Island” and exceed the North American box office of the first “Godzilla” film, becoming the highest-grossing film globally and in North America in the series.