HDC Debates #4: Will Godzilla be the 2nd horror summer blockbuster of all time?
 

The whole concept of summer blockbusters started some 39 years ago, when a film called Jaws made by Steven Spielberg made hay at the summer B.O. and made plenty of movie-goers "afraid to go into the water".

In fact, Jaws can be hailed as THE film which started the trend. Raking in over $470 million in gross terms, which is almost $1.9 billion in 2010's dollar terms, it firmly etched itself in the history of B.O. majors of all time.

Major studios suddenly sat up and took notice of this, and started producing seminal films to cash in on the summer season - a concept which has been reaping rich B.O. rewards for them all through the 80s, 90s, and the 00s.

Why haven't more horror films struck gold at the B.O. during the summer season then, you might wonder. Take a look at the genre releases following Jaws during summer:

1975: Jaws
1976: The Omen
1977: The Hills Have Eyes
1978: Piranha (Dawn of the Dead didn’t get a proper cinema release until 1980 and Halloween was released around the appropriate date)
1979: Dracula (directed by John Badham)
1980: Friday the 13th
1981: An American Werewolf in London
1982: The Thing, Poltergeist
1983: (None of note)
1984: The Company of Wolves
1985: Day of the Dead, Fright Night, The Return of the Living Dead
1986: The Hitcher
1987: Hellraiser, The Lost Boys
1988: Maniac Cop, The Blob
1989: Child’s Play (made in 1988, released in the UK June 1989)
1990: Buried Alive
1991: Misery, Silence of the Lambs
1992: Sleepwalkers
1993: (None of note)
1994: Wolf
1995: Species
1996: From Dusk Till Dawn
1997: Scream, Event Horizon
1998: (None of note)
1999: The Haunting
2000: Final Destination
2001: Session 9
2002: Dog Soldiers, Eight Legged Freaks
2003: Underworld, Wrong Turn
2004: Van Helsing
2005: The Descent, House of Wax
2006: Pulse, Snakes on a Plane
2007: Captivity, Dead Silence, Halloween
2008: The Mist, Eden Lake
2009: Drag Me To Hell
2010: A Nightmare on Elm Street
2011: Fright Night
2012: Dark Shadows
2013: World War Z

(Some release dates are for US, some are for UK)

Some of the above-listed films have been successes, but cannot be termed as true blockbusters who have scored really big at the B.O., like Spielberg's classic fish tale did in the mid-70s.

Will 2014's Godzilla, which has opened really well and is garnering a lot of praise from critics and fans alike, join the ranks of Jaws and become only the 2nd film in horror movie history to be a bonafide summer blockbuster?

For the record, Box Office Mojo reports that Godzilla has scored almost $38.5 million on Friday on it's opening night, which is the biggest opening day for any film in 2014 so far, much ahead of Captain America: The Winter Soldier & The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

I don't really think it qualifies as a horror. Don't know what it got in America, but here it's a 12a Certificate, which means basically any age can go in but under 12s need an adult. It's a film based around spectacle and scary monsters, yes, but I'd say horror is more about primal, personal terror.

I know others disagree, but I have always considered the monster movies like Godzilla horror movies. To me, the genre is more than just fear. As for the topic, I am hoping that it will be a huge summer blockbuster as I felt it was a solid version of Godzilla. It was weak on character development, but I don't think that has ever been the point of the Godzilla films. It will definitely be interesting to watch. I will add the note that I am one of the few that loved and still loves the 1998 version. I did not learn until recently, to my surprise, it was so hated.

Yes I think this is the summer of Godzilla. It will not have some of the staying power as some of the films on V's list (Silence of the Lambs, Nightmare on Elm Street) but will usher in a new interest in horror creature features IMO.

Latest from the B.O.:

Yes, I think it will be the second bona fide horror blockbuster.

Interestingly, Jaws and Godzilla share many of the same characteristics...

1. An deep visceral immersion film

2. a big animal that can eat/kill you

3. resides in the deep ocean phathoms outside the reahlm of man

Though I do think Spielberg did a better job revealing Jaws than Godzilla2014.

Godzilla 2 in development. The next great horror franchise!!

http://www.slashfilm.com/godzilla-2/

How do you mean?

Its a giant monster movie. Of course its horror. Obviously it made a lot of money already and even though I think X Men will hurt it next week but it will definitely be a huge blockbuster which I'm very happy about. Gojira is my favorite movie and I love the franchise so seeing a new adaptation of it getting so much praise and attention is great.

Generic classification isn't as simple as just motifs and subjects - tone is essential. Look at the later Showa era Godzilla movies, they're peppier than a Drugged up Leprechaun. Whilst Godzilla 2014 is notably darker than them, it's by no means chilling or spooky - it's predominantly driven by spectacle and action, with a bit of family melodrama thrown in. I'm not suggesting horrors need be limited to slashers or that genre is rigid and objective, but o feel like suggesting that the inclusion of giant monsters is enough to call it a horror is somewhat an oversimplification.

Depends on the audience, ferret: in my local theater people were gasping, startled, and even crying out in panic at the sight of the MUTOs and 'Zilla. ::EEK!::

Agree. X-Men:DOFP release is going to affect on its box office rampage.

Sorry to be the cynic here, but c'mon people- GET REAL!

Jaws wasn't the tremendous blockbuster it was because of the amount of revenue it pulled in- plenty of films before its release and after have earned more- it was a landmark film for the effect it had on people. It crossed the genre audience and was seen by EVERYONE, and it had an effect on them. As V mentioned in his introduction, legions of people became afraid of the water. It sparked an obsession with sharks that lasts to this day.

Hollywood changed its marketing style in an effort to recapture the phenomena to such a degree that every big budget film released in the summer is the next SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER, but they never recapture the effect Jaws had because, well, they're NOT JAWS. It wasn't the big budget that turned Jaws into an iconic film, it was the fact it tapped into a heretofore unrealized primal fear.

The new Godzilla film? No matter how well it's done, it's still, forgive me, just another Godzilla movie. It's nothing new, nothing startling, nothing original, and will therefore have no lasting impact on society. Therefore, it will not be a "blockbuster" of the magnitude of Jaws. I'm sure the studio publicity machine will be trumpeting its gigantic box office and declaring it the new Jaws, but they lie.

I thought being a blockbuster was about how much money a movie makes, not about how iconic it becomes. Isn't that what we've been talking about? When did this become a Jaws vs. Godzilla debate? Obviously it won't match up to Jaws, it's a remake/reboot. If you're going to compare, it should be comparing Gojira vs. Jaws unless you're talking money which is what i thought this was all about.

Maybe i'm confused as to what this debate has been about but given how much money the movie has made, Hollywood of course is going to try and capitalize on that by making more sequels (already confirmed) and a bunch of other giant monster movie ripoffs. The same as when Paranormal Activity made a bunch of money and got popular and we got a bunch of found footage movies, as well as any horror trend that gets popular.

But it's all money, that says nothing to how iconic the film is, it's effect on it's viewing audience or how it will be viewed in the future. It will not hold up as Jaws has done simply because its a remake/reboot.

To carry what The Villain was saying further, I thought the question was whether Godzilla (2014) would be the second greatest horror blockbuster? I don't think most people believe that the Godzilla reboot will even touch Jaws as it will not. Jaws will always be one of the greatest horror movies, Godzilla (2014) will not be. Is it a good movie? In my opinion, yes. Will it go down as a horror or science fiction great? In my opinion, definitely not. Though as The Villain mentioned amount of money made does not equal quality. Some masterpieces were commercial and critical failures in their own time, while some, quite frankly, terrible movies made huge amounts of money. The debate at hand is whether this will be the second greatest horror blockbuster.

Latest from the B.O.:


On a lighter note: Jimmy Kimmel says,"Godzilla is real!" and people believe him!

Too fucking funny! People are so stupid!

Not so much.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbu...tertainment%29

Same article mentions this as well:

Huh my mistake then. Either way, it won't be as iconic or memorable as say Jaws or other original films because as i said before, it is a remake/reboot.

And yet, Villain: recent versions of Little Shop of Horrors, The Fly, The Thing, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers were all "reboots" of original films. And they all surpassed their predecessors. So, too, may Godzilla 2014 surpass its reptilian ancestors along with Jaws.

See now that's a matter of opinion. To me, however good the new movies that you stated are, they do not surpass the originals with the exception of maybe The Thing. It stands though that no matter how popular they have become, they wouldn't be there without the originals.

Also the original Godzilla is much more iconic and famous then any of the movies you mentioned. So to say that this new Godzilla may surpass the original, to me is hard to believe.

Villain: no question Godzilla 2014 has a long way to go to surpass its original. I just take exception to the notion that horror films can't become iconic or memorable because they are re-makes. The films I listed show that it is not not a disqualifying factor for a horror. Same holds true in other media, such as music (e.g., Johnny Cash covering NIN).

I agree with MichaelMyers, a remake or reboot is not inherently less than original. There are cases, in my opinion, where the remake was definitely better than the original. Of the examples that MichaelMyers provided, I would agree with David Cronenberg's The Fly and John Carpenter's The Thing. Don't get me wrong, I love The Fly (1958) and The Thing From Another World. They were classics, but they were more along the lines of a 1950s B-Movie. To me, both remakes transcended that and went far beyond that. In fact, I would say both The Fly (1986) and The Thing (1982) are among the greatest horror films ever made. With Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and the 1980s remake of Little Shops of Horror, I believe that the originals were better, though both were solid remakes. As for the Godzilla reboot, I do not think it will surpass the original. The thing with the remakes of The Thing and The Fly was that they did not simply remake the films, they re-imagined the stories and reflected on the concerns of the 1980s. While the 2014 version of Godzilla did re-imagine the story Godzilla, I feel it was less successful at bringing the story to 2014. It kept the original focus of the atomic age. While nuclear concerns still exist in our world today, I think they are at a much lower level than they were in the 1950s. Climate change, the role of technology, and so forth are of much greater concern to modern audiences. I think that the reboot should have kept the spirit of the original, while adjusting it to fit the concerns of 2014. Don't get me wrong, it was a solid film, but it just does not have the markers of transcendence that film like The Fly (1986) or The Thing (1982) possessed. That is the way that I see it.

I did not realize that either. I always thought blockbuster meant a super popular film that earned a great deal of money.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again now- A Godzilla film not made in Japan is an oxymoron.

Okay maybe can't is a strong word but it's certainly something thats not done easily. The only one i can think of is The Thing but the original Godzilla is much more important and popular and famous then The Thing From Another World and this new Godzilla wasn't good enough to become more iconic then it.


Another reason why this new Godzilla will never and can never surpass the original. Godzilla isn't just a Japanese movie, it's a part of their cultural. It's important to them. It's representative of the biggest disaster and tragedy in their history.

Blockbuster...
I grew up in the Jaws age, when 'blockbuster' was first used, and even then, it wasn't well defined in the general population. With Jaws, it carried the 'big hit' definition, which is 'everyone' saw and talked about it, became a cultural icon. Not unlike Psycho and it's shower scene, music and Norman Bates... everyone knew about it, and it became a cultural icon. When a large percent of the populace sees a film, that obviously coincides with large ticket sales.

But as we're approaching some 40 years later, the term 'blockbuster', in popular culture, has come to mean some combo of high ticket sales and the film subject awash in the public media. The new Godzilla film already has high ticket sales and the topic is awash in public media. By general word usage, it's already a blockbuster.


Remakes ever bigger than Original?...
Of course they can, and have been. I was a horror/scifi fan before Snatchers 78, Thing82 and Fly86, and knew the level of weightiness each of those originals had in pop culture. Snatchers was pretty hefty, but Thing and Fly were relatively much smaller, I'd even call the Fly obscure to the general public. Thing82 and Fly86 received a lot more notice than the originals, but I don't think any of the three achieved blockbuster status (Snatchers 78 had most general public notice, the stars helped that).

I agree with Mett that Thing82 and Fly86 were much better films than the originals, and two of the best horror films ever made. (Both Snatchers are good, but the 54 more notable.)


Godzilla And Jaws...
Godzilla2014 is nowhere as good as Jaws. And as Never said, there's nothing new or notable about Godzilla14. Godzilla is every bit a the cultural icon Jaws is, more so, but it's due to 20+ Godzilla films over 60 years, not Godzilla14, nor Gojira54, alone.

Lets not forgot in all of this, that how good it does at the box office shouldn't be a reflection on how good the movie is.... Box office success is just a record of how many hapless souls turned up to watch it, not how good the movie is.

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Godzilla's 4-Day Total: $100,860,422 (US Box Office)

Overall figures:-

Domestic: $100,860,422
+ Foreign: $103,400,000
= Worldwide: $204,260,422

Monday figures:- $7,672,038 (from 3952 theaters)

Still ahead of Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($5,168,281 from 4324 theaters) & Captain America 2 ($6,219,552 from 3938 theaters) in 4th day B.O. earnings.

Totally agree with Neverending. Blockbusters are about more than just money - it's about the Cinematic Event. Whilst a lot of this comes down to marketing and was born in the age of the "high concept" film (and Godzilla has built the anticipation well), it also depends on the fallout - the cultural ripple. Godzilla, for all its money and spectacular glory, just won't have this impact. It may be remembered as a good movie, but it won't be remembered as an event; not in the same way as Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T., Lord of the Rings etc.

That and I still maintain it's not a horror...

The director, Gareth Edwards, has hit it big - he's now lined up to direct one of the Star Wars spinoff films.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hea...odzilla-706636

As for Godzilla, collections have started to drop. Let's see if it can maintain some steadiness come this weekend, once X-Men hits the screens.

Tuesday: $6,944,417
Wednesday: $4,962,197

Total: $112,767,036

Overall figures so far (until the 25th of May):-

Domestic: $148,773,000
+ Foreign: $166,600,000

Worldwide: $315,373,000

This is against a production budget of $160 million, so Godzilla can be termed as a runaway superhit and a Box Office Blockbuster already. It is yet to open in several other countries (including it's "home" country, Japan), so it might be expected to cross $400 million in business overall.

Godzilla only spent one week at No. 1 in U.S. box office. X-Men and Santa Barbara massacre may have dampened public's appetite for horror this week.

Japan gives it's favorite monster-san (read "son") a big thumbs up!

From Variety:

As for current standings in overall grosses:

Domestic: $199,317,206
+ Foreign: $292,000,000

= Worldwide: $491,317,206

After seeing it, I don't feel like it'll be remembered and cherished like Jaws. The only thing it had going for it was Godzilla but instead of creating a great new Godzilla film, they made a disaster film guest starring Godzilla. It was enjoyable but not iconic

Agreed. Godzilla 2014 is forgettable. Gojira and Jaws is not.

The biggest problem I had with the new Godzilla was the plot holes and unanswered questions. I thought it was entertaining, but it's not amazing.

Looking back the 1998 US version was more fun. ::EEK!::.