There’s a weird kind of synergy going on between the different streaming platforms today. Last weekend, Warner Bros. drummed up hype for Godzilla vs. Kong by debuting the first trailer for the film, which drops on HBO Max in March. Meanwhile, Disney Plus released a new episode of hit TV series WandaVision this Friday. And, over on Netflix, 2014’s Godzilla – a precursor to GvK starring MCU actress Elizabeth Olsen – is getting a whole lot of attention.
According to FlixPatrol, Godzilla is currently the seventh most popular movie on the global chart amongst subscribers. It seems likely that folks who can’t wait to see the atomic-powered lizard tussle with King Kong in the spring, or maybe those who’ve been enjoying Olsen’s turn as Scarlet Witch on WandaVision, have flocked to the film on the streamer to whet their appetite for more.
Godzilla was the second Hollywood adaptation of the kaiju creation, and it fared a lot better amongst fans than its 1998 predecessor. It’s the 30th entry in the Godzilla franchise overall and it also kickstarted Legendary’s MonsterVerse, which continued with 2017’s Kong: Skull Island and 2019’s Godzilla: King of Monsters.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as US Navy lieutenant Ford Brody, with Olsen as his wife Elle. One year later, Taylor-Johnson and Olsen played twin siblings in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which makes going back and watching them as a married couple in Godzilla a little weird for MCU fans. Ken Watanabe, Juliette Binoche and Bryan Cranston, in an infamously small role, also feature.
Godzilla raked in a whopping $529 million at the global box office, as well as earning an impressive Certified Fresh rating of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. After King of Monsters let the side down with a much weaker commercial and critical reception, though, fans are hoping Godzilla vs. Kong matches up to the standard of the 2014 flick and Skull Island a bit more.
Unfortunately, the first movie in the MonsterVerse isn’t available on Netflix in the US, but it is in many other territories around the world and clearly, tons of people are checking it out right now.
