How Godzilla vs Kong is reawakening Cinema Culture in Dubai

On March 25th, 2021, the film will be released in cinemas throughout Dubai. As Dubai gradually relaxes the lockdown restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, most cinemas operate at 30% capacity while taking all precautionary measures such as wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, and regular sanitizing.

Despite these precautions, the response has been overwhelming, with Warner Bros/Godzilla Legendary's Vs. Kong setting a new record for the biggest international box office debut by a Hollywood film during the pandemic era, with an estimated $121.8M from 38 overseas markets.

The concept of “streaming vs cinema” is not new, but this latest challenge to the big screen coincides with the year of the OTT (over-the-top), in which several of the world's largest media companies and broadcasters (Disney, NBCUniversal, and Warner Media) have launched new VOD (Video on Demand) platforms.

UAE viewers had the bragging rights for being the first audience in the world to see this MonsterVerse instalment before it is released in the United States and China.

Viewers are treated to a larger-than-life canvas, as the makers' imagination ran wild, imagining two titans as figures taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York City, with Kong reaching nearly 103 metres and Godzilla nearly 120 going toe to toe for reasons (no spoilers) we really don't care about, as what draws us to the movie is simply gleefully watching two of our favourite monsters go toe to toe.

Godzilla is seen heading straight for Kong, who has been freed from Skull Island after it has been proven that the isolated location can no longer contain him. The film promises and delivers epic battles between these two titans.

The MonsterVerse films have given the Kaiju genre a new lease on life in Hollywood. Godzilla vs Kong carries on the good work, and it is every bit the spectacle-packed blockbuster that audiences expected. The two massive battles between the titular Kaiju, one in each half of the film, are thrilling and well worth the price of admission. But, in its own way, it defies some of the Kaiju genre's antiquated conventions.