1 of 2

Yes

Write now Article Tools

Would the Sony/Tristar movie "Godzilla" have been more successful at the box office if it was titled something else? I say yes it would.

I believe that the mere fact that this movie was marketed as "Godzilla" made people ultimately hate it because an expectation was not met. These weren't just die-hard fans of the Godzilla films of the 60's and the 70's; these were fans of big summer blockbuster films and people who were aware of the character Godzilla in reputation alone.

Filmmakers Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich had created a fan base with the films Stargate and Independence Day and people were expecting big things from them in their venture with one of the most well know character properties around.

While I have seen the movie Stargate a few times I cannot relate it to another film like I can with the movie Independence Day. Independence Day shared many of the same elements of George Pal's 1953 classic: The War of the Worlds. After viewing both Independence Day and War of the Worlds, it seemed more like a gimmick than a homage.

That sense carried into the 1998 Godzilla movie as I found familiar scenes that made me think of another old film, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms which was made in 1953 as well. For example, there is a scene in the Godzilla movie where some fishing boats are sunk which is almost exactly like a scene from the older film. You can also compare how in both films the creatures make their way to New York City, and eventually are entrapped and killed off.

I have no problem with the filmmakers paying homage to a movie, but couldn't Devlin and Emmerich pay homage to the right subject? Fans of Godzilla were expecting a creature of destructive force but what they ended up getting was an animal that was about as annoying as a cow on the freeway. The movie was marketed as Godzilla, but it since the main protagonist was not like the Godzilla that fans expected, it was disappointing.

If you look at the box office business that is reported on The Internet Movie Database, you can see that massive drop in money from the first week to the second. Was this because the movie was truly un-entertaining, or did it alienate the movie fans that were expecting something else? I think that if you remove the references to Godzilla, it changes the dynamic of the whole movie as major distraction has been removed from the plot. Market the film as a remake of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and it makes more sense. Sadly, when you look at it this way you can see that it was a tragedy of missed opportunities.

As it stands, Toho, the parent company that owns the rights to the character Godzilla, will probably be very reluctant to allow another version to be made because of the debacle that Devlin and Emmerich created, so it may be some time until an American Godzilla movie will be made for the fans.

Learn more about this author, Chuck Hoodak.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Would the movie 'Godzilla' have been more successful with a different name??
We want to hear your view. Write now!