Gareth Edwards: How soon Production for Godzilla Sequel begins Depends on China

DESTROYAH-X - I'm pleased you enjoyed the way in which I addressed GORILLAAGODZILLA77897. However, I feel slightly ashamed for it; I absolutely abhore having to engage with someone in such a manner. I simply wish that he would join in the conversations on this thread in a productive manner. Constantly stating that Godzilla 2014 was a good film that others should like without question is in no way fair. I liked the movie, but it's far from perfect. Quite the contrary - there are many instances within the film that could use a little work. That being said, I'm not about to tell others what they should or shouldn't think about the movie. Diversity is one of life's pleasures! :)

@everyone,

this thread is about one more comment that envolves someone doing name calling again to being locked down. This is the last warning you all will receive from me.

@destroyah-x,

I don't think you will have to worry about that salembradily person anymore i seen the comment "take a bullet to your face." That was very, very uncalled for. I am sorry that happened and if you are still hurt from that comment do not hesitate to send me a PM. :)

Further note i would like to point out one more thing here destroyah-x, had godzilla been the dark and scary movie like they teased it to be one of these two things would have happened.

A.) it either would have been a flop at the box office

B.) it wouldn't have gotten the success it did as is because the studios knew that children of all ages would want to see godzilla and i can respect that.

@destroyah-x,

one more thing, if you would liike to you can check out this thread and see what i am working on.

http://www.godzilla-movies.com/community/forums/topic/35727

If that link doesn't work just look up a thread in the art work section titled " 2nd teaser drawings of my godzilla 1954 graphic novel still in the works." ;)

And try to be here this friday as the 3rd teasers will be posted then. :)

BIGBADBEN - There is absolutley nothing rude about anything you've stated. You're doing your job as a Moderator and keeping things under control. I'm...shocked that somebody made such an ugly comment to DESTROYAH-X! I hadn't seen that anywhere in this thread! If I had, I would certainly have lodged a complaint. Regardless, thank you very much for maintaining the balance here. Everyone in the sandbox occasionally requires a reminder not to throw the sand. :)

Something real- Your right it was kind of dumb for me to put in, " Thats final" Sorry.

DestroyahX- I know i have expressed my views alot of times, But havent you to? Though your posts are pretty productive to the conversation, Truly when i say something good about g 14, Admit that you do say something negative about it. I know i have no say in this post since its DestroyahX's but maybe we could be a little less harsh on the movie? I mean its the last Godzilla movie since 2004, So maybe you could find something good to say about the movie, Instead of, "Its not doing well at the box office" Thats just my view point you dont have to listen to it. I enjoyed the movie, you guys thought there were some problems, Life!

Something real- Sorry if i havent been bringing anything productive to this conversation, Thank you for bringing it up, Im gonna try and be more productive now!

GORILLAGODZILLA77897 - It's perfectly alright. :) I'm extremely pleased that you want to join in and provide interesting feedback on this thread. We're all a great lot of Godzilla nerds here! Let's act like it instead of going at each-others' throats over petty issues! :)

    If I may ask, what would you say your #1 favorite part of Godzilla was? After that, what was your #1 least favorite part of the film? :)

For al of you guys here is something to think about. This new Godzilla has a longer screen time than Darth Vader in Star Wars A New Hope. Vader-12 minutes. Godzilla- about 13 minutes. Also at least Gareth made the movie so Godzilla can have more movies. Be thankfull that at least there will be some Godzilla movies in the future instead of none at all.

Mecha Rodan- I don't know about the whole Darth Vader thing....But there is a WHOLE LOT going on in 'Star Wars.' And keep in mind, that movie is not called 'Darth Vader.' It's called 'Star Wars,' and that's what you get. Now, I have timed most of the final Godzilla fight in G14. It's 7-8 minutes of actual Godzilla time, minus Godzilla killing the second MUTO, and whatever occurs after, which isn't much. So we are really talking around 10 minutes of a 2 hour movie. And there is almost nothing before that. Even IF it were 13 minutes, it sure isn't 13 quality minutes. If anything, the teases are infuriating, and the fight is too franetic to get a good handle on.

Somehow, I never felt teased by Darth Vader. Now, if they would have cut away from him every time he was about to do something, then okay. But in the very first scene of the movie he chokes a guy to death! Perhaps you could argue that they cut away right before the duel with Obewon, but at least they go back to it, and it's a great duel! I appreciate your attempt at an analogy, but no way are they the same.

Something real- My 1# part is the end where he blows the atomic breath into the female muto's mouth! That scene was incredible!

My least favirote scene is when Bryan Cranston's character dies. I thought that was unnessesary! What are your favirote scenes?

@BigBadBen - Thanks for dropping a note to Chris P. on about the nasty remarks and having it taken care of. :)  To be fair to the rest of us here, while I admit that initially some of us folks got into a little bit of petty name-calling in the first few posts, it was kept civil throughout the rest of the time and no vulgarities were ever used, until SelimBradley dropped the bomb. And I would like to add that in thriving forums, negative and positive thoughts are part and parcel of the process and so are debates, which are bound to occur. In the end, it comes down to self-discipline and the ability to respond in a more appropriate fashion that makes the difference. To indirectly hint that by refraining from posting negative thoughts so as to prevent others into launching personal attacks on us, is the equivalent of bowing down to such threats from hateful individuals who lie in wait, which in turn defeats the purpose of a forum altogether. 

Anyway I have checked out your drawings, they are marvelous! Appreciate that you took that time and dedication to work on the graphic novel. Looking forward to the high-quality shots of them. I think Godzilla-movies should feature your works on the main page when its completed, keep it up! :)

@Something Real - Thanks again for chipping in with your comments, appreciate your balanced views and help :)

@GorillaGodzilla - I don't get it when you asked me to admit that I had negative views about G14. In fact, I have expressed clearly my dislike for certain aspects of the movie, and at the same time you do realized the complains I had about the movie are about its box-office takings and choice of director, and I have provided a lot of arguments for my reasons in doing so. And then its the personal ego issue which I was telling you about. Like I highlighted to you, my remarks were made specifically addressed to the same folks who responded to me in agreement and were never directed to you. So I dun think its necessary to shoulder those comments I directed to others upon yourself to respond repeatedly to us with the same remarks. Its like for example, I am responding to @Something Real now in response to her views, (you butt in-between and say "no, no guys, listen to me, the movie is awesome alright~". Then next, I am responding to @ThePike or @Talisman (you butt in-between again and repeat "no, no guys, listen to me, the movie is awesome alright~")  - Do you get my point now? Lol :P

And yes, there are some things I would like to admit too - I love G14's Godzilla design and the MUTOs. They are at the top of my favorites list including Biollante. And one more - I love the OST for Godzilla 2014, and my favorite soundtrack is Two Against One which I think is epic. :)

@Mecha Rodan - I don't understand the relevance when you try to relate Godzilla 2014 with Star Wars by comparing the screen-time/ exposure between both the key characters. Quantity is not the question here, its how you deliver them to the best effect that matters. And if there's someone we need to be grateful to, it's Yoshimitsu Banno who obtained the rights to Godzilla and decided to produce a Godzilla movie with the commitment of Legendary Studios/Warner Bros for today's audiences. Gareth Edwards was merely picked by the studios to direct this project for commercial reasons and Gareth did not create this film out of his own pocket.  

GORILLAGODZILLA77897 - My #1 favorite part in Godzilla is the instance in which the MUTOs are beginning to wreak havoc. I greatly enjoyed the amount of destruction they wrought - and the warning to Mankind they posed. I very much wanted Godzilla himself to be Humanity's punishment for mistreating the world, but the MUTOs filled that role well enough! :)

   My #1 least favorite part of Godzilla happens to be a great deal of the middle section. There are quite a few interesting moments therein. However, I felt that the second act was somewhat weak when compared to the first and third. :)

DESTROYAH-X - You're most welcome, sweetie. Anything for a friend. :)

@ SOMETHING REAL - My thoughts exactly.

1st Act - A
2nd Act - C
3rd Act - B

I thought the first hour was crafted perfectly. The first sign of problems began when Cranston's character died because he was the whole human element.... ok, well since the monsters seem to be on there way thats fine... The Hawaii scene was epic!!! Then it cuts away and thats where it all started. The 2nd act and parts of the 3rd constantly subjects the audience to FAR LESS interesting things happening on camera when there were FAR MORE interesting things happening off camera. Nothing on ATJ and Olsen, they played their parts fine, it was the script that held Godzilla 2014 back. I thought of how the script could've been changed for a better overall film... I would've ditched the whole military husband-wife-kid plot and make Elizabeth Olsen (she's a great actress and a heroine of sorts would've been cool) the lone child of Cranston and Binoche's characters. 15 years after the accident, she tries to make a living in San Francisco as a nurse while her father continues to go after the truth behind the incident in Japan (she would be single too because of the emotional state she is in and we don't need no cliched love story subplot). Once Cranston's character gets arrested in Japan, his daughter heads over and the plot moves on from there to Hawaii then to San Francisco. The things they could've done with a father-daughter emotional plot like that would've been much more interesting than what we got. UGH... one can only dream.

But come on guys, we are all Godzilla fans. You should not let a person's opinion on one movie tick you off because you have 0 control over it no matter what you do or say about it. This movie did what it had to do and restore the real Godzilla to the world. More movies are coming so lets stand together and hope for greatness ;)

@destroyah-x,

Glad to know that you liked my drawings. :)

Yes i know that things are clearing up on this thread a little bit better, however should one more individual like that say something like what salimbradly said, i am sorry but this thread will be locked, i can not risk any one of you taken a comment like that, i love you all and have absolute respect for you all, guess you could say that i am a protective and somewhat bigger brother here on this site to this long list of godzilla family. :)

I agree with what many of you have said but godzilla was successful and we should be celebrating and hoping for something better in the sequal. :)

@destroyah-x,

Also some other things i felt like the movie was good at as far as realism.

1. the way they protrayed the government and the military trying to hide the truth from people but yet they say we are trying to save lives here that is what is happening in this world today believe it or not

2. One person said oh well they praised god too much in this movie, that is a huge factor for me as nature is under god's control, meaning godzilla to me is god's personal pet. :D

The fact is a tsunami is caused by nature which also is a real life tragedy that happened on the earth not to long ago and they protrayed that very well in the new movie.

3. Radiation is a lethal danger anywhere on the planet and being exposed to it will kill us humans, but since godzilla and the mutos exsisted during that time period when radiation was at it's heighest peeks, probably when god first created the heavens and the earth.

The movie was good for what it was, yes they are some majors flaws that everyone here has pointed out, yes it could have been better, was it successful? Yes it was and we will be getting a sequal, so lets all hope for the better in the sequal. :)

@Something Real - That's nice to know you see me as a friend though we haven't had the most exchanges of discussions so far in these forums, and I am honoured. Somehow though we've never met, I get the impression that you must be a nice person to talk to and a confidant to those around you. :)

@BigBadBen - From my point of view, I think you are partially right when you say Godzilla 2014 is a success. I would consider it a success for having spawned a sequel or maybe two sequels? Portrayal-wise, I think this movie suceeded in banishing the bitter experience Godzilla fans suffered from the 98 movie, so its kinda like a stone has been lifted from their hearts - everyone rejoices and Godzilla has been given a new lease of life. For this I say that's where G14 succeeded.

But then again, from the perspective of non-fans of Godzilla, you would be surprised that there are actually quite a lot of people as well who felt Godzilla 98 is the better movie than G14 in terms of storyline. To each his own I say. My guess is, the reason why there are still a handful of people who felt G98 was better had nothing to do with the design of Godzilla, but rather, they related better to the human characters in G98 than the ones in G14. To some extent, I could understand their sentiment, because other than Joe Brody (who died so abruptly, not to the benefit of G14), the rest of the human cast are pretty much secondary in focus. 

As for G14 being deemed commercial success? So far looking at the numbers, I would call it a moderate success, but not an epic or phenomenal success. If the studios think making $500 million would suffice, then it would be gauged a success on their level. But if we are putting our bets that Godzilla 2014 could easily topple Godzilla 98 in the US box-office or in overall sales (which I'm sure many of us fans did), then I'm sad to say it's still not quite there yet. At the moment, Godzilla 98 is still officially listed as the no.1 movie in the Godzilla franchise earning $231 million in the US, while G14 is unlikely to hit that target as it still trails the former by nearly $35 million to date. And I won't want to touch on the worldwide sales numbers because the gap is even bigger. So at the end of the day, it really comes down to individual targets set that define the level of success. :)

Figures aside, yes, I thought the realism factor was a great value-add to the entire Godzilla 2014 theme, but at the same time, one could also consider it a double-edged sword. While realism plays a role in shaping the story and Godzilla's origins, it also brings limitations to e.g. how much power Godzilla could project realistically going forward, and goes on to affect the sequel. Regarding the probable enemy of Godzilla in the sequel, I think it would most likely have to be created from human experimentations e.g. something like Biollante in order for it to make sense. To add on, since Godzilla in decades of Monarch's studies has already been established as the Alpha Predator of these ancient monsters, to suddenly awaken another natural enemy of Godzilla in the sequel which is way more powerful than G himself, or the MUTOS, would literally make a joke out of Monarch and the original storyline.

Come to think about it, do you realise the term 'Alpha Predator' is the weakest link in this movie, and something that doesn't make any sense at all? Consider this - Godzilla is the only living specimen of these ancient giants that they have come across in 1954, apart from just maybe a few scattered fossils or giant skeletons Monarch may have found elsewhere, there really isn't much to proof that Godzilla reigned against them or fed on them. Out-living the rest, does not automatically make one an alpha predator, similar to how cockroaches have outlived dinosaurs by millions of years but are not the dominant species today. Next, the MUTOs were completely alien and unheard of up until they hatched, and are similarly gigantic, and in fact they posed more obvious danger to the humans than Godzilla in this movie. If I were a researcher, just by plain looking at them, I would be forgiven for mistaking Godzilla as a gentle herbivore, and the MUTOs the predators. So what doesn't make sense is how Dr. Serizawa could instantly label Godzilla an Alpha Predator of a species of ancient creatures he has not much an idea of, nor has he ever seen Godzilla feeding on anything to indicate it's a canivore, and instantly he knows that Godzilla would rise out of the ocean from nowhere after nearly decades of disapperance to come up to battle the MUTOs? And at that very instance Serizawa thinks of it and rushes out to the deck of the carrier, Godzilla suddenly appears too out of nowhere after decades of absence -  Did Godzilla and Serizawa communicate over walkie-talkie?

To me these details didn't help the storyline, and I would rather they didn't establish Godzilla as an Alpha Predator from the start, and kept it unknown so we could get more surprises. 

Hi guys :) Just to update everyone on the Box-Office tally so far:

The US Box Office:

Sales through the last weekend 20th - 22nd June was $1.88 million. Sales for the latest recorded dates 23 & 24  June is $263k and $330k respectively. This brings the current US Box-Office total for Godzilla to $195.5 million. Based on the current sales progress, it should take another 1-2 weeks to hit $200M. 

Foreign Box Office:

Godzilla took in another $31.7 million in the 2nd week of China's debut. This brings it's current takings in China to $69 million as of 22nd June. Currently, Godzilla stands as the #1 movie for the week, and the #9 biggest in China in terms of overall sales, with X-Men DOFP leading the pack of foreign films. X-Men is expected to be dethroned by Transformers AOE when it debuts. Following China's boost, Godzilla's foreign sales now stands at $282.4 million. 

This brings the current combined total sales (including the US) for Godzilla to $477.9 million as of 22 June. 

DESTROYAH-X - I'm flattered! :) Don't worry - there's plenty of time for us to engage in all manner of discussions! As for the news concerning the worldwide revinue take for Godzilla: that's quite fascinating! I'm glad to see that it has breached the $450 million mark! :)

@destroyah-x,

right! That is bad for non fans of godzilla to say that the 98 film was better but us die hard fans were hurt from what we got, to me godzilla 1998 was a giant iguana meets jurassic park. :P

@destroyah-x,

I thought they said apex predator? O_O

Might have been something i misunderstood. :P

Anyway tomorrow is the big day for yet another of my drawings of the fan made graphic novel i am working on to be posted. :)

Apex is essentially the same thing as alpha.

Transformers come out ths weekend so Godzilla will probably fall off in China but I think when Godzilla hits Japanese theaters it will have about two weeks before T4 is released there giving it some breathing room to make up for the money that will start to go down in China.

i wonder... if the studios waited until the end of this year to release godzilla, could have been a little bit more successful?

Guess we'll never know.

@Something Real, @BigBadBen, @Durp004 -

Godzilla 2014 is bound to hit at least $500 million, and along with Japan's debut and further sales from China, it should end up around the $530 - $570 million figure I estimated. A $550 million hit would be a fair success considering the amount of hype Godzilla received worldwide before its debut, when compared to other movies. Should it exceed and hit the $600 million mark, I would see it as an indication of a resounding nod of approval for Gareth's efforts. And if it doesn't, then the sequel should aim to hit the 600 mark the next time. 

Speaking of alpha, I know they call it so cos during the 'let them fight' scene, the general was asking Serizawa, " This alpha predator of yours doctor, do you think it stands a chance? "  Heh 

On G14's release date, its not quite the best timing to sandwich itself between that many equally big-budgeted blockbusters that happen to encompass the 'humanity in crises that needs a hero' theme. A bit of over-exposure here I say. And with the Transformers juggernaut looming, every other movie including Godzilla have reasons to be worried. - Not so much in the faith of audiences' taste here, but the amount of screens cinema vendors are willing to cut off from these movie slots in favor of screening Transformers. I'm rather shocked that in my home country now, they have stopped screening Godzilla in all cinemas since last week. I can only hope that the goal for Godzilla to hit at least $110m sales in China won't be affected much by Transformers' debut.

And @BigBadBen, I'll be keeping a look out for your graphic novel. ;)

lol, still can't believe the transformers/godzilla comparison. after watching transformers, I've truly realised how f-ing great godzilla 2014 is. destroyah x u almost got me there with your poor taste. now I understand why you dislike godzilla 2014, there's no doubt in my mind now :)

Selim B. your opinions don't matter here, but the only thing you say that caught my attention most was that despite all that clear disdain of yours for Transformers Age of Extinction, you actually paid and went on to catch the movie? Haha omg. 

Well, at least you contributed to its sales in a teeny-weeny lil' bit. So I gotta say: Uh-uh-uh, Michael Bay gotch you there ~ ;)

@destroyah-x

new teasers of the godzilla graphic novel are up. :)

http://www.godzilla-movies.com/community/forums/topic/36031

@selimbradley and @destroyah-x,

guys please learn to get along! You know what this has gone on long enough sorry destroyah-x but this thread is getting locked down if you can conveince me that it needs to stay open then please send me a PM so that we can talk about it. :)