The MonsterVerse is returning to the big screen with its fifth installment, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Warner Bros. dropped the official trailer over the weekend to give fans a glimpse of the world which has “more secrets than we could possibly imagine.”
The latest creature feature will follow up the explosive showdown of 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, opening doors for Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle to reprise their respective roles. The early reactions of fans to the trailer, which promises to show them the rise of a new empire, have been encouraging. However, it is predicted that this hype is unlikely to shake up the box office seismometer frantically. Instead, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 is anticipated to make the real noise come 2024.
How Much Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Are Predicted to Earn
Ryan Reynolds has led the Deadpool franchise to great effect, with the first two movies on the Merc with a Mouth grossing a combined total of more than $1.5 billion. However, the third installment, which is expected to open the floodgates for the intertwining of X-Men characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is being predicted to cross the elusive $1 billion mark on its own.
Despite MCU’s recent struggles, amplified further by the frustrating performance of The Marvels, the Reynolds-led movie has already started to generate plenty of hype ahead of its release in July of next year. One of the big reasons behind the same is Marvel Studios’ ambitious plan to bring Deadpool and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) together on the same stage. Jackman hasn’t played Logan since 2017.
The Direct predicts Deadpool 3 to earn as much as $1.2 billion and become the highest-grossing film of 2024. However, it doesn’t hold similar bullish hopes for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, predicting it to gross $650 million globally.
However, those numbers only seem bleak when compared with Reynolds’ movie. If the Adam Wingard-directed film does manage to earn more than $600 million, it would establish itself as the most successful movie of the MonsterVerse.
Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 Projected to Break Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Record
The third installment of the psychotic yet hilarious Wade Wilson isn’t expected to just beat massive beasts Godzilla and Kong but also surpass the collection of Joaquin Phoenix‘s 2019 blockbuster Joker ($1.07 billion) and become the highest-earning R-rated film in history.
Many Deadpool fans feared that the character’s inclusion in the MCU could force director Shawn Levy to sacrifice his movie’s R-rated tone to entice more types of audiences. However, Levy has confirmed Deadpool 3 is not going to move away from the DNA that made Reynolds’ character so unique.
“Not only have Kevin Feige and Marvel and Disney supported this extremely Deadpool-ian, audacious, R-rated tone, they’ve also supported our super meta, self-referential self-awareness,” Levy told Wired.
Phoenix’s Joker 2 is scheduled to release in the second half of 2024, but it’s not projected to earn enough to snatch its title back from Deadpool 3. Joker: Folie à Deux, which will also feature Lady Gaga, is predicted to make $800 million at the box office.
Read more: Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 Will Reportedly Mega-Troll Avengers: Endgame’s Most Iconic Scene
