As films universes struggle to make in the current landscape, one genre and one franchise seems to be gaining momentum in the industry
Elizabeth Olsen might have exited the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it is another franchise of her’s that might carry Hollywood through the next decade. Superhero fatigue seems to be a concept wrestling with the mainstream nowadays. Hollywood is a business, and it recognizes this.
Although, it must ask itself the question: What comes next? What will the audience be interested in for the next 10 years? While Olsen’s Scarlet Witch might be out of the game, another franchise of hers might be stomping all over Hollywood soon: with friends in tow.
Before the superhero boom with the MCU and its many followers, X-Men was the premier superhero franchise of the time. This is reflected in the success of the Monsterverse, and the attempt by various studios to revitalize their own Kaiju properties, in a bid to capitalize on what Godzilla and his behemoth buddies have been able to achieve.
Elizabeth Olsen starer Godzilla was just the beginning
Among the shared cinematic universes that were expected to consume our days in the coming decade, the Monsterverse seems to be the only universe not losing steam yet. The MCU is heading towards a soft reboot to right its wrongs, the DCU is heading to a full reboot to erase its wrongs, The Dark Universe was…well just wrong, and the Hasbro Shared Universe is yet to take off. The Monsterverse, along with other Kaiju films have become an important part of the conversation in Hollywood, so much so that Disney has been developing a King Kong Disney+ Series since 2021.
Apart from Kong and Godzilla, the last 6 years have seen small and big studios release giant monster films. Be it Rampange (2018), Troll (2022), The Meg (2018), Monster Hunter (2020), or Love and Monsters (2020), the industry seems to be focused on investing in big monster films.
As for box office numbers, Kaiju films, regardless of the critical side of things, have been bringing in the dough, which is what matters to any industry in the end. Furthermore, the pandemic marked the biggest litmus test for the genre as Godzilla vs Kong ended up performing leagues better than Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
So, where do the Monsters stand?
As Monarch: Legacy of Monsters continues its critical onslaught, fans are highly anticipating Godzilla x Kong: New Empire, the next entry in the MonsterVerse. What’s more, the Kaiju industry is supplemented with content from the East, as properties like Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One provide a brilliant batch of content that can help Western studios take the time to produce content properly and accurately, without having to worry about large scale competition.
Furthermore, there are numerous other properties that could attract Western attention when it comes to producing Monster films. While Jurassic Park is still the greatest film franchise when it comes to giant monster films in the West, fans have been clamoring for another Kaiju to be imported to Western audiences: Gamera. A box office rival to Godzilla, this monstrous turtle would serve as the perfect counterweight for any studio brave enough to take on the MonsterVerse.