How Godzilla 2 can compete with Jurassic World 2!

GORILLAGODZILLA- I agree with you. Gareth Edwards has to bring his a game if he want's Godzilla 2 to compete with Jurassic World 2. 

Godzilla 2 is going to have to hit the ground running.

It should have a crazy, jaw-dropping opening that stuns at the very outset. I'm not worried about the effects in terms of execution. But G2 needs to be a wild ride that shocks, scares and delivers great money shots. I would advise Gareth Edwards to lose the "I don't use shots that can't actually be made" edit. Godzilla 2 should some POV's tha are not possible from a human perspective. 

Bring back Serizawa and Graham. They are essential to the Monarch angle of the film's and the series' narrative and plot. Give us some insight into the workings of Monarch and make it compelling. Don't limit the danger to the advent and actions of the kaiju. Give us a character or characters that are interesting, funny at times, who we want to see 'make it.' They don't have to provide comic relief, but they should be memorable.

Not that I disagree with some of what you're saying. (Although it's going to take more than outstanding effects and CG to get people's butts in the seats.) I don't think there's going to be much "competing" between the two films. And why would they? Legendary has their money and mitts in both productions and they'll likely be more hands on with the next Jurassic movie now that they've partnered with Universal.

Godzilla 2 is June 8th.

Jurassic Park 5 is June 22nd.

That's a two week gap. Too large to consider the two really competing at the box office. In two weeks Godzilla 2 will have made most of the money it's going to make. The same goes for Jurassic 5.

Sounds to me that Legendary is just trying to own the month of June. With those two I think they can do it.

I still can't believe all the hype jurassic world has gotten.  It really wasn't that good, it was just a bunch of action sequences back to back.

Jamaal-That is what they will have to do you hit it out of the ballpark.

Gman- We're talking more interms of the end-game ratio of income, for G 2 to equal Jurassic that is what we are discussing.

I personally think we need to see what Gareth Edwards does with his Star Wars spin-off first before we can come to conclusions.

Can Godzilla compete with Jurassic World? Yes. As long as it is handled properly and has much more kaiju action like what Pacific Rim delievered. They will need some top CGI effects from some one like senior visual effects superivisor Joe Lattani from the 2005 King Kong film. Godzilla 2014 special effects supervisor Jim Rygiel did good but some things were off. Godzilla 2014 made around 560 million worldwide while Jurassic world made that in 2 weeks or so.

I really want Legendary to do the right thing with the both of these films. They did with Jurassic World because it felt more like a monster film than Godzilla did from last year.

GORILLAGODZILLA - My greatest hope is that the second film within Edwards' Godzilla serieis manages to draw in a far greater crowd than the first. However, I have a feeling that my hopes are of little concern; people will always want to see Godzilla! :)

Better writing, better characters and at least 2-3 scenes in the movie that make your jaw drop. This is Godzilla for Christ's sake! And please, no more "hide the monsters." Again, this is Godzilla. We want to see him/them kicking ass, and wearing out the speaker systems with all the noise!

Yes, it absolutely needs to be better than the first. But they also have to convince people, especially all the ones who felt burned by it, that this is the movie they've been wanting to see. This movie is going to have a two week window (as of now), to make it's mark. We all know typically most sequels don't do as well as the previous film, so they have an uphill battle. Once JW2 hits, everyone will be going to see it and G2 will sink or swim on what it makes in that two week period and quite possibly word of mouth, which had better be damn good. No pressure, Gareth.

To be honest, right now I'm looking forward more to Toho's Godzilla and Pacific Rim 2 than either of these.

"To be honest, right now I'm looking forward more to Toho's Godzilla and Pacific Rim 2 than either of these."

Same here, but in addition to those movies having more going for them from a creative standpoint they're also closer. It's easier to get excited about.

I'm also not sure why Godzilla has to equal or best Jurassic Park's box office nor why that's important. Jurassic Park has always been a massive, mainstream box office draw and Godzilla hasn't since the 1960s. I just want it to do well, not sellout so far that it makes money, but drops intelligence-- No offense to Jurassic World, but the movie was dumb. Not bad, just dumb. It knew it was dumb and that self-realization somehow clicked with audiences. So bravo to it. Yet if that's what it takes to be the #3 biggest box office hit of all time these days then... I don't want Godzilla to be the #3 biggest box office hit of all time.

My concern isn't necessarily compteting with JW2 (I don't think it can or will). I realize that's the subject of this post. My thing is making enough in that two week period to give it sustainability and hopefully making it a success. The studios are hoping for a trilogy. I think we'd all like that as well. It just faces an uphill battle, being the sequel of what is a very divisive film, amongst G-fans and non G-fans alike. It could blow the first one completely out of the water (as entertainment), and end up failing from a business perspective, if people don't go to see it because of the first one. That could potentially be the end of the trilogy. Now, there's just the added pressure of the JW juggernaut coming two weeks later and taking away more business. Legendary's not going to lose, like you said.

@Gman2887,

Well said sir. 

I think Godzilla 2 has to distinguish itself from the 2014 film for the reasons already stated: unfulfilled expectations, too much slow build and tease, tepid characters, interesting characters dying too soon, etc.

The next film is going to feature giant, flying monsters with enormous wingspans. the potential havoc that these creatures can wreak defies description. Imagine fully digitally-realized King Ghidorah, Rodan and Mothra. The potential for 'money shots' here requires no explanation. and give them 'character.' Make them purposeful in what they do. Endow them with some intelligence to make them interesting, and not just animals. Although Godzilla 2 is going to be fully digital, it could benefit from some tokusatsu-style visualization, if you know what I mean. Godzilla 2 should be daring, Godzilla-like, but digital, looking for realism, but offering the fantastic as the same time. This film, with these kaiju, is the one to give audiences an experience they've never had before. I would also, if I may, suggest that Godzilla be made somewhat unpreditable so that he does not wind up being some sort of anti-hero giant monster pet. I mean in Godzilla 2014 he allowed the Navy to tail him, sail along side him, and nothing happened. I understand that he was back "to restore balance." But Godzilla should be more of a wild card this time around. A fully CGI King Ghidorah, of immense, overwhelming size, with destructive gravity beams, generating cyclone-force winds, would be worth the price of admission itself. If Rodan is based on the 1956 design and given character and motive, then you have a titular monster in peril. Godzilla is going to have to be a lot more vicious this time around. The neighborhood just got a lot rougher. I would also suggest that Godzilla's atomic heat weapon be made broader, and more destructive.

I want a sinister, maze-like backstory for Monarch, replete with characters possesing dishonorable motives and agendas. The organization should be linked to the appearances of the other monsters, or at least some sort of cover up regarding their advent. 

"Now, there's just the added pressure of the JW juggernaut coming two weeks later and taking away more business."

Jurassic Park 5 isn't go to steal any more business from Godzilla 2 than any other big blockbuster title that would be released 2 weeks later. It's just too far away for today's fast-food boxoffice sensibilities that will have become that much faster and that much different in 2018.

If Godzilla 2 isn't considered a hit within two weeks regardless of JP5 it would be a flop. Jurassic World's sequel really has nothing to do with this. Having a two week buffer before the next big blockbuster is GREAT in this day and age. That's time the first movie didn't get before X-Men in 2014.

All of this is literally worry for not.

More than anything, the second film in Edwards' Godzilla series needs to be a success for the fans - hang the box office results. The wolrd at this point in time is so full of hyper-competitions and one-upsmanship, is it such a terrible thing that we simply want a film for the entertainment it will bring? Is it not the very essence of cinema to desire the experience of a film for its own sake? Godzilla 2 and Jurassic World 2 do not need to have, nor should they engender, competition. All they must do in order to make the splashes their creators deisre is to help those of us whom watch step away from the unpleasantries of our world for but a few hours. :)

I must say that I agree with the assesments of Gman2887 and SomethingReal: this film's biggest competiton and concern is within itself.

Because of the schedule, I don't see a threat from JW2, or whatever they're going to call it.

What is important, is what kind of film Godzilla 2 turns out to be.

Someone at Comic Con hinted that G2 would be different, action and monster wise, and in a way that fans want.

We'll see, God willing.

I mean the first had X Men coming out the next week and did fine with what it had, although there was a notable drop off once X men came out.

The way to compete with JW isn't necessarily with the movie as much as the advertising. By the time critic reviews of the movie come out most people have already made up their mind if they're going to see it, hence why Transformer movies always kill it in the box office despite whatever the reviews and ratings say. A film would have to be Adam Sandler level bad(maybe worse since some of his movies still do well even with the horrible reviews) to actually effect people's decision to go.

This is of course on the grounds of what the critics attach to it. It's been made clear that people would rather see a bad movie than something that's labelled boring or slow. Unfortunately a lot of those have been attached to the first Godzilla so the trailers have to go out of their way to say this one will be different and really bring that home that this is a monster bash moreso than a disaster movie like the first. 

Could Godzilla keep up with JW2 in the box office? Most likely no, but there might be a small chance.

"If Godzilla 2 isn't considered a hit within two weeks regardless of JP5 it would be a flop."

That's my point exactly. The fact that we know this particular movie (or any other fan-base-driven blockbuster) is coming out two weeks later means that it really only has those two weeks to do it's thing. It's basically going to sink or swim in those 14 or so days. The first one had the benefit of a fantastic ad/marketing campaign as well as no precedent, so it made a killing it's first weekend; almost half of it's total take. Now the cat's out of the bag. Are a lot of movie-goers going to be "fool me once..."? All I'm saying is this one has a tougher battle than the first one did, simply because of the divisive nature of it. The fact that JW2 is coming out two weeks later is simply an added pressure; not the end all, be all.

There's that old saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

And Jamaal, you're right, in that G2's biggest competition is itself.

"The fact that we know this particular movie (or any other fan-base-driven blockbuster) is coming out two weeks later means that it really only has those two weeks to do it's thing."

But most movies these days only have 14 days to do its thing... if their lucky. Normally it's the first 7 and boom, their out. The only added pressure coming from JP5 is fans' imaginations.

I agree with the sentiment that Godzilla 2's biggest competition is itself. It's got to have a convincing ad campaign and proof of its worth.

the problem probably wont be boxoffice competition but critical competition, scifi fans and general audiances will compare the movies due to them coming so out so close to one another and having simillar key points, ive seen many pepole figth over Interstellar and Gravity even tough they came out with almost a year difrence

I agree with Gman2887

@Koldwarkid62:

I believe, to the point of certainty, that Thomas Tull needs to have a sitdown with Gareth Edwards, and basically tell him to ramp it up this time around. 

As Admiral Stenz said to Dr. Serizawa, "The cat's out of the bag, Doctor. No more secrets." 

This film is going to feature several giant monsters. Make it the shock-filled, thrill ride that it should be. Not just more monsters. But, make them fierce and intimidating. When I see Godzilla 2, God willing, I want to be made to lean back in my seat, trying to get out of the way. I want to see POV's that aren't possible in real life. I plan to leave behind the day-to-day reality of things when I pay my money (or have my e-mailed ticket scanned) at the door. The audience should be kept off balance. I don't think the point here is to make something they can feel comfortable with. A film that is cathartic, to a degree, anyway, can be just as rewarding (and worthy of several viewings). Link Godzilla more to his atomic origins and tie it to Monarch. They're a multi-national entity, so no one country will be made to look bad, if that was a concern.

^Agreed. Everyone's pretty much hit the nail on the head. It has to be better and they have to convince eveyone that it's better.

And then hope for the best!

The biggest thing this film is going to do is drawing back its lost audience. The first trailer will have to be stunning, jaw-dropping, spine tingling good. The opening will have to draw you in make you interested in the environment and the characters.

They will have to make an outstanding film, something to remember.

The biggest thing this film is going to do is drawing back its lost audience. The first trailer will have to be stunning, jaw-dropping, spine tingling good. The opening will have to draw you in make you interested in the environment and the characters.

They will have to make an outstanding film, something to remember.

Yep.

This is it, Legendary. Like this.^ I would not advise resting on the We're-Not-Roland-Emmerich-laurels, either. And, the trailers should reflect how the film actually is. I hope a buzz results from the film's trailers and opening, causing the hesitant to want to see it. Then it'll have legs.

That you 'get' Godzilla is obvious. But can you bring the terror and awe to the screen? And the atmosphere that pervades the story, the narrative and the dialouge in such a way that even when he's not on screen, he dominates the film? A great feature, indeed, characteristic, of the great Godzilla films, like Gojira (1954), is the anticipation of his return, the feeling and dread that he is near and the inevitability of his return.

GMAN2887 - I would just like to mention that it is your opinion that Jurassic World is "dumb", please don't state it as a fact, I'm not trying to be nasty or anything but it is just your opinion and i respect that but I do not respect it being presented as a fact as many of us believe otherwise, thank you :)

Evan,
Of course it's an opinion, but there's nothing stopping me from firmly believing it is a fact, thus stated as such. It's a dumb movie. I love it, but there's plenty of reasons why it's riotously stupid. There's nothing wrong with liking dumb fun movies. It doesn't mean they're bad, just self aware; from King Kong vs. Godzilla to The Avengers, many of us like movies just like it.