by Roderick Salmon
There have been numerous attempts to create the definitive King Kong movies since then, but will 2024’s upcoming blockbuster finally manage it?
King Kong As a Huge Part of Popular Culture
The 1930s original caused a sensation and was quickly rated as one of the best movies of all time, a title many critics believe that it still holds. 2024’s new movie will be the 38th in the franchise and the giant ape has become one of the most instantly recognisable characters in the entertainment world. In fact, Kong has also crossed over to many other parts of popular culture.
An example can be seen when we look at the slots in an online casino. Even Bigger Bananas is the latest in the King Kong Cash series of slots by Blueprint Gaming, while 800 Pound Gorilla by Ingenuity draws on a similar theme. 9K Kong in Vegas and King Kong Cash Go Bananas are other slots that show us how popular the theme is among slot players.
As one of the best-known movies in history, there’s no doubt that King Kong has influenced many other movies and TV shows, either directly or indirectly. Some analysts suggest that virtually every movie based on a giant rampaging beast – from Jurassic World to Godzilla and many more – is at least partly inspired by the 1933 original, while the iconic moment when the ape climbs the Empire State Building is one of the most parodied scenes in history.
What to Expect from the New Movie?
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is going to be the fifth entry to Warner Bros MonsterVerse. It’s officially the sequel to 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong, which ended with Kong living peacefully on Skull Island. Several of the actors, including Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry, will be back to reprise their roles from the last time although the exact details of the plot haven’t been released so far.
What we know currently is that Kong will be teaming up with Godzilla to fight a threat to the Earth’s existence. We’ve also been promised that it will delve deeper into the background of Skull Island and the Titans. With filming already completed, it’s been scheduled for release in April next year.
Will It Be a Success?
The catalogue of King Kong movies to date shows a mixture of hits and misses. This second look at the 2005 remake directed by Peter Jackson suggests that it was one of the better Kong movies of recent years. Along with the 2021 movie with Godzilla, these efforts show that Kong still has pulling power, as both earned healthy profits while earning critical acclaim.
However, the key to the success of this franchise has always been in the human relationships on the screen as well as the way in which King Kong interacts with them. Ever since he fell in love with Faye Wray, we’ve been fascinated by this love story and wanted to see how it ended.
If the new movie can capture these complex relationships well, it will help its chances of success. However, to become the definitive Kong movie it would have to somehow eclipse those memorable scenes on the Empire State Building.
