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Wikipedia

King Kong (franchise)

January 16, 2024

King Kong is an American monster media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as television, novels, comic books, video games, attractions, and other merchandise. The franchise is centered on King Kong, a giant ape living on a primordial island inhabited by prehistoric creatures. The original film King Kong was co-directed by Merian C. Cooper (creator of the character) and Ernest B. Schoedsack and was released on March 2, 1933; it was a box office success, despite opening during the Great Depression. The film's stop motion effects by Willis H. O'Brien revolutionized special effects, leaving a lasting impact on the film industry worldwide.

King Kong
Logo used in marketing materials for the original 1933 film.
Created byMerian C. Cooper[1]
Original workKing Kong (1933)
OwnerWarner Bros.[a]
(through Turner Entertainment Co.)
Universal Pictures[b]
StudioCanal[c]
Years1933–present
Print publications
ComicsFull list
Films and television
Film(s)13 films; 1933–present
Television seriesFull list
Theatrical presentations
Musical(s)King Kong (2013)
Miscellaneous
Crossover seriesMonsterVerse

Twelve films have followed since the franchise's 1933 debut, with Kong typically serving as a benevolent and, at times, violent protagonist. Ownership over each film varies since Kong was licensed to various studios but the original 1933 film and its sequel were produced and owned by RKO Radio Pictures until the films were inherited by Warner Bros. (via Turner Entertainment Co.) in 1996. The franchise has experienced several hiatuses and revivals, and it has inspired other genre films during intervals such as Mighty Joe Young, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,[6] Creature from the Black Lagoon,[7] Godzilla,[8] Mothra,[9] and Jurassic Park.[10][11]

History edit

 
 
Live-action and animated variants of King Kong between 1933–2021.

1930s edit

Main articles: King Kong (1933 film) and Son of Kong

In 1933, RKO Pictures produced and released King Kong and became a box office success despite opening during the great depression, earning $90,000 in its first four days.[12] The film's success spawned a sequel nine months later, Son of Kong, as well as a multimedia franchise spanning remakes, reboots, books, videos games, attractions, parodies and references.[13][14][15] The film grossed $10 million at the box office and earned an additional $2.5 million when it was re-released in 1952.[16][17] The film revolutionized special effects, specifically stop motion, that left a long lasting impact in the film industry worldwide, with effects animator Willis H. O'Brien largely credited for pioneering the medium.[18][19][20] King Kong (1933) is widely regarded by critics and journalists as a masterpiece and a signature facet of American cinema,[21][22][23] and is cited as one of the greatest monster films ever made.[24][25][26] King Kong (1933) was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation[14]

1960s edit

Main articles: King Kong vs. Godzilla, The King Kong Show, and King Kong Escapes

In the early 1960s, O'Brien developed a story outline titled King Kong vs. Frankenstein, supplemented with water-color illustrations and sketches, in the hopes of igniting interest for a potential production in color. Impressed with O'Brien's pitch, RKO attorney Daniel O'Shea granted O'Brien permission to use the character and introduced him to independent film producer John Beck to help secure studio funding. Despite hiring George Worthing Yates to adapt O'Brien's outline into a full screenplay (retitled as King Kong vs. Prometheus, in reference to the original Mary Shelley book) and meeting with several studios and directors, Beck failed to sell the project in Hollywood and instead reached out to foreign studios.[27]

Beck succeeded in striking a deal with Toho Co., Ltd., the producers behind Godzilla (1954). However, Toho was mostly interested in licensing King Kong from RKO and Beck rather than acquiring O'Brien's story; as a result, Frankenstein/Prometheus was replaced with Godzilla and the project was redeveloped as King Kong vs. Godzilla. Beck's deal with Toho was done without O'Brien's knowledge or consent, and a lawsuit was prepared (presumably against Beck) for unauthorized use of O'Brien's ideas in the film. However, the lawsuit was dropped due to attorney fees and O'Brien died on November 8, 1962.[27] Unlike King Kong (1933), the special effects were accomplished with suitmation and miniature sets, also known as tokusatsu, with King Kong portrayed by Shoichi Hirose and Godzilla portrayed by Haruo Nakajima; stop motion was also used in a few brief scenes.[28]

Toho theatrically released King Kong vs. Godzilla on August 11, 1962, in Japan and was a box office success, having sold 11.2 million tickets during its initial theatrical run, accumulating ¥352 million ($972,000) in distribution rental earnings.[29] The film became the second-highest-grossing Japanese-produced film in history upon its release[30] and was the fourth-highest-grossing film released in Japan that year as well as Toho's second-biggest release.[31] Because Toho was so eager to acquire King Kong, they agreed to cede to Beck theatrical and television distribution rights for the United States, Canada, Alaska, the United Kingdom, and Israel, while Toho retained exclusive distribution for the Far East. Beck's contract also granted him the right to produce his own version and commissioned a heavily localized version with new footage using American actors and replacing Akira Ifukube's score with stock music from Universal Pictures' library. Beck sold his localized version to Universal International, who made a deal to retain copyrights to the American version for 40 years.[4] The American version of King Kong vs. Godzilla was released in the United States on June 26, 1963.[32] The Japanese version remained unavailable officially outside of Japan until 2019 when American distributor The Criterion Collection included both Japanese and American versions in a Blu-ray set collecting the Shōwa era Godzilla films.[33]

In 1966, American studio Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment acquired the rights from RKO to produce an animated series and a new live-action film. A joint venture between Rankin/Bass and Japanese studio Toei Animation, The King Kong Show premiered on ABC in September 1966.[34] Around that time, Rankin/Bass made a deal with Toho to co-produced their King Kong film that would have been promotionally tied to The King Kong Show. Toho presented a script titled Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah, but Rankin/Bass vetoed the script and Toho proceeded without Rankin/Bass; King Kong was replaced with Godzilla and the film was redeveloped as Ebirah, Horror of the Deep.[35][36]

In September 1966, Toho had sent Rankin/Bass a proposed synopsis for a new film titled King Kong Escapes, which was loosely based on The King Kong Show; though some elements from Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah remained such as over-the-top villains from an unnamed nation, illegal production of fuel for nuclear weapons, and scenes in the South Seas. The proposal was accepted and filming began in spring 1967,[36] with Haruo Nakajima playing King Kong via suitmation.[37] Toho theatrically released King Kong Escapes on July 22, 1967, in Japan but failed to match the box office success of King Kong vs. Godzilla.[38] Universal Pictures released an English dubbed version in the United States the following year; similar to what they had done with King Kong vs. Godzilla, Universal made a deal to retain the copyright of the American version for 40 years.[4]

1970s–1980s edit

Main articles: King Kong (1976 film) and King Kong Lives

Accounts vary as to the genesis of the 1976 remake. While producer Dino De Laurentiis has claimed it was his idea to remake King Kong after seeing a poster of the 1933 film in his daughter's room, Michael Eisner, then-vice president of ABC, equally claimed to have conceived the idea of a remake in December 1974 after watching the 1933 film on television, and nonchalantly mentioned such an idea to Sidney Sheinberg, then-president and CEO of MCA Inc. and Universal Pictures; Sheinberg also mentioned the idea to Barry Diller, then-president of Paramount Pictures. Sheinberg and Diller soon began to concurrently develop their own King Kong remakes, both unaware of the other's project. Diller hired De Laurentiis to produce on behalf of Paramount, while Sheinberg hired Hunt Stromberg Jr. to produce for Universal. On April 15, 1975, Universal's attorney Arnold Shane and De Laurentiis, both unaware of the other's appointment, met with RKO's attorney Daniel O'Shea to negotiate in acquiring the rights. Despite not signing documents, both parties left believing they had secured the rights for their respected studios; however, Paramount had signed their deal with RKO the following month and soon learned about Universal's own film after they announced Joseph Sargent to direct and Bo Goldman to write the script, titled The Legend of King Kong.[39]

Universal and Paramount soon engaged in litigation; Universal insisted that a verbal agreement was made with RKO, demanded $25 million in damages from De Laurentiis and RKO, and asserted that the material was in public domain by then since Universal published a novelization of the King Kong story in the 1930s. De Laurentiis countersued for copyright infringement, demanding $90 million in damages and pushed his film into production while also publishing ads that jabbed at Universal (e.g. "There Still is Only One King Kong"). In January 1976, negotiations were made to potentially have both studios co-produce a single film and share profits, but De Laurentiis rejected Universal's proposal of using their script and controlling the merchandise. Litigation ended that same month after De Laurentiis agreed to pay an undisclosed percentage for Universal's cancelled film, with Universal vowing to produce their own King Kong film at an undetermined date.[39]

Carlo Rambaldi lead an effects team that built Kong's giant hand and a 40 foot tall robot of Kong, its construction overseen by Glen Robinson. Like the Toho films, an ape-suit was used to bring Kong to life, with special make-up effects artist Rick Baker portraying the character. The 40-foot robot cost roughly $2 million, while the giant hand and suit cost an additional $400,000, and a full-sized static Kong made of styrofoam, used for one scene, cost $300,000. The production was a rushed venture since the studio set the film's release date for December 1976 and De Laurentiis' persistence to beat Universal. As a result, delays occurred due to props and mechanics malfunctioning; two full-scale right hands produced by mistake; director John Guillermin's tyrant-like behavior on-set; the budget inflating to $24 million and marketing costs of $10 million, figures unheard of at the time. Paramount theatrically released King Kong on December 17, 1976, and grossed $90 million. Despite mixed reviews unfavorably comparing the remake to the original, the film won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, shared with Logan's Run.[39]

In 1977, De Laurentiis stated that a sequel to the 1976 remake would "definitely" be produced.[40] However, development on a sequel was impaired by the remake's disappointing box office results and legal complications over the ownership of the King Kong character.[41] Writer Steven Pressfield stated that various scripts were written that he described as "embarrassing". Despite initially skeptical of a female Kong, De Laurentiis ultimately approved of Pressfield's and Ronald Shusett pitch of Kong put in a respirator and restored with an artificial heart.[42] Guillermin returned to direct the sequel after finances collapsed for a film adaptation of Tai-Pan with Sean Connery.[43] The film was announced in October 1985 and filming began in April 1986 in Tennessee for a December release later that year.[44][45] King Kong Lives was theatrically released on December 19, 1986, by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group and was met with a poor response. The film flopped at the box office,[46] grossing $4.7 million in the United States and Canada,[47] and was panned by critics.[48]

1990s edit

Main articles: King Kong (2005 film) § Earlier attempts and 1990s, and The Mighty Kong

In 1993, Toho had considered remaking King Kong vs. Godzilla, due to that film being their most successful Godzilla/Kong film to date. However, Toho concluded that re-acquiring the rights to King Kong would prove difficult and instead considered using the cyborg Mechani-Kong, seen in The King Kong Show and Toho's King Kong Escapes. Effects director Kōichi Kawakita regaled an idea inspired by Fantastic Voyage where Mechani-Kong would have injected people inside Godzilla's body to battle the beast internally while Mechani-Kong battled Godzilla externally. Kawakita stated that the concept would have explored different worlds inside Godzilla. However, Toho walked back on using Mechani-Kong since the character bore a likeness to King Kong and thus required obtaining the rights. Mechani-Kong was replaced with Mechagodzilla and the film was redeveloped as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.[49]

In 1995, Universal Pictures offered filmmaker Peter Jackson a chance to direct a remake of King Kong, after being impressed with Jackson's The Frighteners.[50] Licensing the character from RKO and WarnerMedia was no longer an issue because the character of "Kong" fell into public domain by that point.[51] Jackson initially turned down the offer but reneged on his decision after fearing that the remake would fail under a different director.[52] Around that time, Jackson was attached to direct live-action film adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but proceeded with King Kong due to producer Harvey Weinstein taking too long to acquire the rights. To placate Weinstein's anger, Jackson brokered a co-financing/co-distributing deal for King Kong that benefited all parties. Pre-production commenced with filmmaker Robert Zemeckis on board as executive producer and Universal approved the script co-written by Jackson and his wife Fran Walsh, with filming planned to commence in 1997 for a potential 1998 release.[50] However, Universal halted progress in January 1997 after growing concern over competition from the then-upcoming releases of TriStar's Godzilla and Disney's Mighty Joe Young, both released in 1998.[53] Universal aborted King Kong the following month, despite Wētā FX and Wētā Workshop having already designed six months worth of pre-production, and Jackson reverted to helm The Lord of the Rings trilogy.[54][52] Years later, Jackson and his frequent collaborator Christian Rivers noted striking resemblances in tone between Jackson's unused King Kong script and Universal's 1999 remake of The Mummy.[55]

In 1998, Warner Bros. released The Mighty Kong direct-to-video. An animated musical remake of the 1933 film, it features the voices of Dudley Moore, Jodi Benson, Bill Sage, Jason Gray-Stanford, and Richard Newman. The film received negative reviews and is placed in the low-tier end of most ranking lists of King Kong films.[56][57][58]

2000s edit

Main articles: Kong: The Animated Series and King Kong (2005 film)

In response to the success of Columbia TriStar Television's animated series Godzilla: The Series, BKN International produced Kong: The Animated Series and ran on syndicated television between 2000 and 2001. The series is a direct sequel to the 1933 film and focuses on a new Kong cloned from the DNA of both the 1933 Kong and a young man named Jason and as a result, Jason is able to link with Kong via a special device in moments of crisis. The series generated two direct-to-video animated films, Kong: King of Atlantis (2005) and Kong: Return to the Jungle (2006).[59][60][61]

After the success of The Lord of the Rings films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, Universal approached Jackson in early 2003 during post-production on The Return of the King about reviving his King Kong remake. In March 2003, Universal scheduled a 2005 release date and Philippa Boyens was hired to rewrite Jackson's and Walsh's 1996 script, but Jackson began to work on a new script in October 2003 that was closer to the 1933 film after being dissatisfied with the 1996 script. They included unused elements from James Ashmore Creelman's script of the 1933 film, such as the lost spider-pit scene. Delos W. Lovelace's 1932 novelization was also a source of inspiration. Weta Workshop and Weta Digital began to work immediately on King Kong after the completion of The Return of the King and Jackson had brought back the crew that worked with him on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Filming began in September 2004, with Andy Serkis portraying Kong via motion-capture acting.[53][54][50][62] Universal theatrically released King Kong on December 13, 2005, to generally positive reviews, with the film appearing in several top ten lists for 2005.[63][64] The film received four Academy Award nominations, for Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Production Design, winning all but the last.[65][66] Jackson had also directed a recreation of the lost spider pit sequence that was featured on the 2005 DVD release of the 1933 film.[67][68]

2010s–present edit

Main articles: Kong: King of the Apes, MonsterVerse, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla vs. Kong, Skull Island (TV series), and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

In 2013, Jackson and producer Mary Parent had intended to produce Skull Island, a direct sequel to his 2005 remake and handpicked then up-and-coming director Adam Wingard to direct it. However, Jackson and Wingard dropped out of the project but Parent remained after Legendary Pictures took over the project and redeveloped it as a prequel; Parent eventually became Legendary's production chief.[69] In July 2014, Legendary announced the film at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H with Max Borenstein (writer of Legendary's 2014 Godzilla film) to write the script. Legendary initially targeted a November 4, 2016 release and had offered Joe Cornish to direct it.[70] Around that time, Jackson expressed interest in seeing Guillermo del Toro direct the film.[71] In September 2014, Legendary announced Jordan Vogt-Roberts as the director, with Tom Hiddleston leading the film.[72] In September 2015, Legendary moved the film, retitled Kong: Skull Island, from Universal to Warner Bros. to unite the King Kong and Godzilla properties under one studio.[73] In October 2015, Legendary officially announced their plans for a shared cinematic franchise between King Kong and Godzilla that would culminate in a Godzilla vs. Kong film, at the time slated for a 2020 release.[74] In January 2017, Legendary's Godzilla–Kong series was revealed as the MonsterVerse, after it was announced that Legendary founder Thomas Tull would resign but remain as producer on the MonsterVerse films.[75]

Inspired by Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, Borenstein had originally envisioned a war film that began in the Vietnam War and jumped to the present day; however, Legendary rejected this idea. Borenstein then wrote a draft set in 1917 while retaining the Apocalypse Now concept. That version saw Hiddleston playing a character leading a rescue mission into Skull Island to find his brother, who came to the island in search of a cure-all serum.[76][77] After Vogt-Roberts joined the film, he liked Borenstein's original Vietname-era pitch and convinced Legendary to set the film near the end of the Vietnam war.[78] For Kong's design, Vogt-Roberts took the character back the look of the 1933 iteration, wanting him to look straightforward yet iconic enough that a child could draw him, and wanted Kong to reflect a lonely and morose God.[79] Terry Notary portrayed Kong via performance capture, while Toby Kebbell provided additional facial work; Notary sought Serkis' blessing before accepting the role.[80][81] Principal photography began in October 2015, in Hawaii and Vietnam and wrapped in March 2016.[82] Kong: Skull Island was released on March 10, 2017, to positive reviews,[83][84] and was a box office success, grossing $566 million worldwide against a budget of $185 million.[85] The film received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards.[86]

In April 2016, writer and artist Joe DeVito sued Legendary and Warner Bros. for breach of implied contract, alleging that they had stolen ideas and concepts from pitch meetings he had with Legendary in April 2014. He claimed Legendary turned him down yet used his ideas as the basis for their film without credit or compensation and sought $3.5 million in general and punitive damages.[87] That same month, Netflix released the animated series Kong: King of the Apes; a joint venture between 41 Entertainment and Avi Arad, the series ran for two seasons.[88][89] In March 2017, Legendary had assembled a writers room for Godzilla vs. Kong, with Terry Rossio (who had co-written an unproduced script for TriStar's Godzilla)[90] leading a team consisting of Patrick McKay, J. D. Payne, Lindsey Beer, Cat Vasko, T.S. Nowlin, Jack Paglen, and J. Michael Straczynski.[91] At that time, Wingard had a general meeting with Parent, who recalled that Jackson had approved of Wingard and was announced as the director of Godzilla vs. Kong in May 2017.[92][69]

Around that same time, MarVista Entertainment and IM Global announced their own live-action King Kong project for television; written by Jonathan Penner and Stacy Title, the series is to be based on DeVito's materials, approved by the Cooper estate.[93] Filming for Godzilla vs. Kong began in November 2018 in Hawaii, Australia, and Hong Kong and wrapped in April 2019.[94][95] For the ocean battle scene, animation supervisor Eric Petey provided the full body and facial capture for Kong.[96] The film endured several delays, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but was finally released internationally on March 24, 2021 and on March 31, 2021 in the United States; the latter which saw a concurrent release in theaters and on HBO Max.[97][98] The film received generally positive reviews and became a box office and streaming hit during the pandemic; it became the most successful launch item in HBO Max's history until it was overtaken by Mortal Kombat.[99][100][101] The film grossed $470 million worldwide against a break-even point of $330 million,[100][102] and became the most pirated film of 2021.[103] Prior to the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, Legendary announced in January 2021 an animated series titled Skull Island. A joint-venture between Legendary Television, Tractor Pants Productions, Powerhouse Animation Studios, and Netflix Animation, the series is scheduled to released on June 22, 2023, on Netflix.[104][105]

Due to the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, Legendary announced a sequel in March 2022, scheduled to commence filming later that same year.[106] In May 2022, it was announced that Wingard would return to direct and that Dan Stevens had been cast in the lead. Wingard and Stevens had previously worked together on The Guest.[107] Filming began in July 2022 in Gold Coast, Queensland, and finished in November 2022.[108][109] In April 2023, Legendary released a teaser trailer revealing the film's official title as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.[110] The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on March 29, 2024.[111]

In August 2022, Disney Branded Television announced plans for a live-action series of their own for Disney+. The series is to be co-produced by James Wan's Atomic Monster Productions and written by Stephany Folsom, and would be based on Cooper's original books and DeVito's new novelizations, focusing on a new Kong in modern times with characters exploring the origins and mysteries of his home island.[112]

Filmography edit

Theatrical features edit

Film Release date Director(s) Story by Screenwriter(s) Producer(s) Distributor(s)
King Kong March 2, 1933 (1933-03-02) Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack[113] Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper[113] James Creelman and Ruth Rose[113] Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack[113] RKO Pictures[113]
Son of Kong December 22, 1933 (1933-12-22) Ernest B. Schoedsack Ruth Rose Ernest B. Schoedsack
King Kong vs. Godzilla August 11, 1962 (1962-08-11) Ishirō Honda[114] (Japan)
Thomas Montgomery[115] (U.S.) 		Shinichi Sekizawa[114] (Japan)
Paul Mason and Bruce Howard[115] (U.S.) 		Tomoyuki Tanaka[114] (Japan)
John Beck[115] (U.S.) 		Toho Co., Ltd.[32] (Japan)
Universal International[32] (U.S.)
King Kong Escapes July 22, 1967 (1967-07-22) Ishirō Honda Arthur Rankin Jr. Takeshi Kimura Tomoyuki Tanaka and Arthur Rankin Jr.
King Kong December 17, 1976 (1976-12-17) John Guillermin Lorenzo Semple Jr. Dino De Laurentiis Paramount Pictures
King Kong Lives December 19, 1986 (1986-12-19) Ronald Shusett and Steven Pressfield Martha Schumacher De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
King Kong December 14, 2005 (2005-12-14) Peter Jackson Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson Universal Pictures
Kong: Skull Island March 10, 2017 (2017-03-10) Jordan Vogt-Roberts John Gatins Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, and Derek Connolly Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Garcia and Mary Parent Warner Bros.
Godzilla vs. Kong March 24, 2021 (2021-03-24) Adam Wingard Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty, and Zach Shields Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Brian Rogers, Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, and Eric McLeod[116]
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire March 29, 2024 (2024-03-29) Terry Rossio, Adam Wingard, and Simon Barrett[117] Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater[117]

Direct-to-video animations edit

Film Release date Director(s) Story by Screenwriter(s) Producer(s) Distributor(s)
The Mighty Kong June 16, 1998 (1998-06-16) Art Scott William J. Keenan Denis deVallance
Lyn Henderson 		Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Kong: King of Atlantis November 22, 2005 (2005-11-22) Patrick Archibald Patrick Archibald
Sean Catherine Derek
Chuck Patton 		Sean Catherine Derek Allen Bohbot BKN International
Kong: Return to the Jungle November 14, 2006 (2006-11-14) Stuart Evans Sean Catherine Derek
Rick Ungar 		Allen Bohbot
Rick Ungar

Television edit

Series Seasons Episodes First released Last released Showrunner(s) Network(s)
The King Kong Show 3 26 September 10, 1966 August 31, 1969 Arthur Rankin Jr.
Jules Bass 		ABC (United States)
NET (Japan)
Kong: The Animated Series 2 24 May 2, 2001 2001 Sean Catherine Derek
Romain Van Leimt 		M6
Kong: King of the Apes 2 23 April 15, 2016 May 4, 2018 Avi Arad
Allen Bohbot 		Netflix
Skull Island 1 8 June 22, 2023 Brian Duffield and Jacob Robinson
Allen Bohbot

Reception edit

Box office performance edit

Film Year Box office gross revenue (est.) Ticket sales (est.) Budget
United States and Canada Other territories Worldwide Ref United States and Canada[118] Japan[119]
King Kong 1933 $10,000,000 $1,777,000[120] $11,777,000 [121] 7,800,000[122] — $672,000
Son of Kong 1933 $616,000 — $616,000 [123] 1,760,000 — $269,000
King Kong vs. Godzilla 1962 $2,700,000[29] $7,667,650 $10,367,650 [d] 3,200,000 12,600,000[124] $620,000
King Kong Escapes 1967 $3,000,000 — $3,000,000 [e] 2,300,000 — —
King Kong 1976 $52,614,445 $38,000,000 $90,614,445 [125] 24,701,600[126] — $23,000,000 – 24,000,000
King Kong Lives 1986 $4,711,220[127] $44,200,000 $48,911,220 [f] 1,231,200[128] — $18,000,000
King Kong 2005 $218,080,025 $344,283,424 $562,363,449 [129] 33,885,140[130] 1,900,000[131] $207,000,000
Kong: Skull Island 2017 $168,052,812 $398,600,000 $566,652,812 [132] 18,970,200[133] 1,680,000[134] $185,000,000
Godzilla vs. Kong 2021 $100,315,000 $363,100,000 $463,415,000 [135] — — $160,000,000
Total $550,429,502 $1,182,496,698 $1,722,926,200 93,848,140 16,180,000 $595,561,000
  • N/A = no know data.

Critical and public response edit

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
King Kong (1933) 98% (58 reviews)[136] 90% (12 reviews)[137]
Son of Kong 36% (11 reviews)[138] 50% (6 reviews)[139]
King Kong vs. Godzilla 47% (15 reviews)[140] 40% (4 reviews)[141]
King Kong Escapes — —
King Kong (1976) 53% (36 reviews)[142] 61% (11 reviews)[143]
King Kong Lives 8% (10 reviews)[144] 32% (9 reviews)[145]
The Mighty Kong — —
King Kong (2005) 84% (262 reviews)[146] 81% (39 reviews)[147]
Kong: Skull Island 75% (389 reviews)[148] 62% (49 reviews)[149]
Godzilla vs. Kong 75% (378 reviews)[150] 59% (57 reviews)

Cultural impact edit

Main article: King Kong in popular culture

King Kong, as well as the series of films featuring him, have been featured many times in popular culture outside of the films themselves, in forms ranging from straight copies to parodies and joke references, and in media from comic books to video games. The Beatles' 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine includes a scene of the characters opening a door to reveal King Kong abducting a woman from her bed. The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror III" features a segment called "King Homer" which parodies the plot of the original film, with Homer as Kong and Marge in the Ann Darrow role. It ends with King Homer marrying Marge and eating her father.[citation needed]

The British comedy TV series The Goodies made an episode called "Kitten Kong", in which a giant cat called Twinkle roams the streets of London, knocking over the British Telecom Tower. The controversial World War II Dutch resistance fighter Christiaan Lindemans — eventually arrested on suspicion of having betrayed secrets to the Nazis — was nicknamed "King Kong" due to his being exceptionally tall.[151] Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention recorded an instrumental about "King Kong" in 1967 and featured it on the album Uncle Meat. Zappa went on to make many other versions of the song on albums such as Make a Jazz Noise Here, You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3, Ahead of Their Time, and Beat the Boots.

The Kinks recorded a song called "King Kong" as the B-side to their 1969 "Plastic Man" single. In 1972, a 550 cm (18 ft) fiberglass statue of King Kong was erected in Birmingham, England. The second track of The Jimmy Castor Bunch album Supersound from 1975 is titled "King Kong".[152] Filk Music artists Ookla the Mok's "Song of Kong", which explores the reasons why King Kong and Godzilla should not be roommates, appears on their 2001 album Smell No Evil.[citation needed] Daniel Johnston wrote and recorded a song called "King Kong" on his fifth self-released music cassette, Yip/Jump Music in 1983, rereleased on CD and double LP by Homestead Records in 1988. The song is an a cappella narrative of the original movie's story line. Tom Waits recorded a cover version of the song with various sound effects on the 2004 release, The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered. ABBA recorded "King Kong Song" for their 1974 album Waterloo. Although later singled out by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus as one of their weakest tracks,[153] it was released as a single in 1977 to coincide with the 1976 film playing in theatres.

Other media edit

Video games edit

# Title Year Developer Publisher Platforms
1 King Kong 1982 Tigervision Tigervision Atari 2600
2 King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch 1986 Konami Konami Nintendo Family Computer
3 King Kong 2: Yomigaeru Densetsu 1986 Konami Konami MSX2
4 King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World 1990 Data East Data East Pinball
5 Kong: King of Atlantis 2005 Skyworks Interactive and Game Titan Majesco Game Boy Advance
6 Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World 2005 Ubisoft Ubisoft Game Boy Advance
7 Peter Jackson's King Kong 2005 Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable
8 Godzilla Daikaiju Battle Royale[154][155] 2012 AWM Studio Productions AWM Studio Productions Online
9 Colossal Kaiju Combat[156][157][158][159] 2014 (delayed) Sunstone Games Sunstone Games, Sega (PS4), Nintendo (3DS and Switch) Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo 3DS, Switch
10 KONG VR: Destination Skull Island[160] 2017 Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures Virtual reality
11 Call of Duty: Warzone 2022 Raven Software Activision Publishing Battle.net, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
12 Skull Island: Rise of Kong 2023 IguanaBee GameMill Entertainment PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam

Various electronic games featuring King Kong have been released through the years by numerous companies. These range from handheld LCD games, to video games, to pinball machines. Tiger Electronics released various King Kong games in the early 1980s, including a Tabletop LCD game in 1981,[161] a video game for the Atari 2600 home video game system in 1982,[162] a handheld game in 1982 in both a regular edition[163] a large screen edition[164] (the regular edition was later reissued by Tandy in 1984[165]), an "Orlitronic" game (for the international markets) in 1983,[166] and a color "Flip-Up" game in 1984.[167]

Epoch Co. released two LCD games in 1982. One was King Kong: New York,[168] and the other was King Kong: Jungle[169] Konami released two games based on the film King Kong Lives in 1986. The first game was King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch for the Famicom, and the second was King Kong 2: Yomigaeru Densetsu,[170] for the MSX computer. In 1988, Konami featured the character in the crossover game Konami Wai Wai World. All of these games were only released in Japan. Data East planned to release a pinball machine called King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World[171] in 1990, but only 9 units were made. In 1992, Nintendo produced an educational game called Mario is Missing that features a treasure hunt level involving King Kong in New York City. The character is represented by images of his arm grabbing the Empire State Building in the NES version and a full body statue in the SNES version. Bam! Entertainment released a Game Boy Advance game based on Kong: The Animated Series in 2002.[172] MGA Entertainment released an electronic handheld King Kong game (packaged with a small figurine) in 2003.[173] Majesco Entertainment released a Game Boy Advance game based on the straight to video animated film Kong: King of Atlantis in 2005.[174]

In 2005, Ubisoft released two video games based on the 2005 King Kong. Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie was released on all video game platforms, while Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World was released for the Game Boy Advance. Also to tie into the film, Gameloft released King Kong: The Official Mobile Game of the Movie[175] for mobile phones, while Radio Shack released a miniature pinball game.[176] Taiyo Elec Co released a King Kong Pachinko game in 2007.[177]

King Kong appears in the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment game Lego Dimensions. He appears as a boss in The Lego Batman Movie pack.[citation needed]

In 2021, Raw Thrills released a cinematic virtual reality motion game called King Kong of Skull Island.[178]

Also in 2021, King Kong became a playable character in the Toho mobile game Godzilla Battle Line as part of a crossover promotion with the film Godzilla vs. Kong.[179]

In 2022, King Kong appears as a non-playable character alongside Godzilla in Call of Duty: Warzone. Once again as part of a crossover promotion with Godzilla vs. Kong, the update is titled Operation Monarch. A cosmetic outfit based on Kong is also released for both Warzone and Call of Duty: Vanguard.[180] Also that year Kong appeared in the game World of Warships.[181]

Also in 2022, King Kong appeared in the mobile game Kong Skull Island x Evony: The King's Return as a tie in to the film Kong Skull Island by Evony, LLC.[182]

In 2023, Zen Studios released a three pack video game collection for Pinball FX called Godzilla vs Kong: Pinball Pack which features three games, Kong Pinball, Godzilla Pinball and Godzilla vs Kong Pinball.[183]

Also in 2023, GameMill Entertainment released Skull Island: Rise of Kong for all platforms.[184]

Besides starring in his own games, King Kong was the obvious influence behind other city-destroying gigantic apes, such as George from the Rampage series,[185] Woo from King of the Monsters (who was modeled after the Toho version of the character), and Congar from War of the Monsters, as well as giant apes worshiped as deities, like Chaos and Blizzard from Primal Rage.

Literature edit

Main article: King Kong (comics)
 
Cover of the 1932 novelization of King Kong written by Delos W. Lovelace. This novelization was released just over two months before the film premiered in New York City on March 2, 1933.

Over the decades, there have been numerous books, novels, and comic books based on King Kong by various publishers.

In December 1932, as the film King Kong was finishing production, Merian C. Cooper asked his friend Delos W. Lovelace to adapt the film's screenplay into a novelization. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, the book was released later that month on December 27,[186] just over 2 months before the film premiered on March 2, 1933. This was a part of the film's advance marketing campaign. The novelization was credited as being based on the "Screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose. Novelized from the Radio Picture". The byline written under the title was "Conceived by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper". However, despite the credit, Wallace had very little to do with the story or the character. In an interview, author-artist Joe DeVito explains:

From what I know, Edgar Wallace, a famous writer of the time, died very early in the process. Little if anything of his ever appeared in the final story, but his name was retained for its saleability ... King Kong was Cooper's creation, a fantasy manifestation of his real life adventures. As many have mentioned before, Cooper was Carl Denham. His actual exploits rival anything Indiana Jones ever did in the movies.

— [187]

This conclusion about Wallace's contribution was verified in the book The Making of King Kong by Orville Goldner and George E. Turner (1975) where Wallace stated in his diary, "Merian Cooper called and we talked over the big animal play we are going to write, or rather I am writing and he is directing", and "An announcement has been made in the local press that I am doing a super horror story with Merian Cooper, but the truth is it is much more his story than mine...I shall get much more credit out of the picture than I deserve if it is a success, but I shall be blamed by the public if it is a failure which seems fair".[188] Wallace died of pneumonia complicated by diabetes on February 10, 1932, and Cooper later had James Creelman and finally Ruth Rose finish the screenplay. Cooper would later state: "Actually, Edgar Wallace didn't write any of Kong, not one bloody word...I'd promised him credit and so I gave it to him".[189]

Cooper issued a reprint of the novelization in 1965 that was published by Bantam Books. Some time later, the copyright expired and the publishing rights to the book fell into the public domain. Since then a myriad of publishers have reprinted the novelization numerous times.[190] In 1983, Judith Conaway wrote a juvenile adaptation of the novelization called King Kong (Step Up Adventures) that featured illustrations by Mike Berenstain and was published by Random House books, while Anthony Browne wrote and illustrated another juvenile adaptation called Anthony Browne's King Kong in 1994. Credited as "From the Story Conceived by Edgar Wallace & Merian C. Cooper", the book was published by the Turner Publishing Company. It was re-released as a paperback in the U.K in 2005 by Picture Corgi. Blackstone Audio produced an audio recording of the book in 2005 narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, while StarWarp Concepts released an Ebook version complete with 6 new illustrations from pulp-comic artist Paul Tuma in 2017.[191]

Outside of the novelization, the film was serialized in a pulp magazine. In 1933, Mystery magazine published a King Kong serial under the byline of Edgar Wallace,[192] and written by Walter F. Ripperger.[193] This serialization was published in two parts in the February and March issues of the magazine.

In the U.K, the film was serialized in two different pulps, both on October 28, 1933: in the juvenile Boys Magazine (Vol. 23, No. 608),[194] where the serialization was uncredited, and in that month's issue of Cinema Weekly where it was credited to Edgar Wallace and written by Draycott Montagu Dell (1888–1940). This short story adaptation would later appear in the Peter Haining book called Movie Monsters in 1988, published by Severn House in the U.K. The novel was serialized in the London Daily Herald by H. Kingsley Long as well. The serialization was first published in April 1933 and ran 37 installments.

In 1973, Philip Jose Farmer wrote a short story sequel to the Lovelace novelization called After King Kong Fell that was published in OMEGA: a collection of original science fiction stories.[195]

In 1977, a novelization of the 1976 remake of King Kong was published by Ace Books. This novelization was called The Dino De Laurentiis Production of King Kong and was simply the 1976 Lorenzo Semple Jr. script published in book form. The cover was done by Frank Frazetta.

To coincide with the 2005 remake of King Kong, various books were released to tie into the film. A novelization was written by Christopher Golden based on the screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson. Matt Costello wrote an official prequel to the film called King Kong: The Island of the Skull. These books were published by Pocket Books. Various illustrated juvenile books were published, as well, by Harper Books: Kong's Kingdom was written by Julia Simon-Kerr; Meet Kong and Ann and Journey to Skull Island were written by Jennifer Franz; Escape from Skull Island and Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World—Junior Novel were written by Laura J. Burns; The Search for Kong was written by Catherine Hapka; and finally, a Deluxe Sound Storybook of Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World was written by Don Curry. Weta Workshop released a collection of concept art from the film entitled The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island that was published by Pocket Books. The book was written and designed to resemble and read like an actual nature guide and historical record.

In 2005, Ibooks, Inc., published an unofficial book featuring King Kong called Kong Reborn, by Russell Blackford.

Starting in 1996, artist/writer Joe DeVito began working with the Merian C. Cooper estate to write and/or illustrate various books based on the King Kong character. The first of these was an origin story labeled as an authorized sequel/prequel to the 1932 novelization of King Kong called Kong: King of Skull Island. This illustrated hardcover novel was published in 2004 by DH Press and featured a story DeVito co-wrote with Brad Strickland and John Michlig. It also included an introduction by Ray Harryhausen. A large paperback edition was then released in 2005, with extra pages at the end of the book. A CD audiobook narrated by Joey D'Auria was released by RadioArchives as well, and an interactive two-part app was released in 2011 and 2013, respectively, by Copyright 1957 LLC. In 2005, DeVito and Strickland co-wrote another book together called Merian C. Cooper's King Kong for the Merian C. Cooper estate. This book was published by St. Martin's Press. It was a full rewrite of the original 1932 novelization, which updates the language and paleontology and adds five new chapters. Some additional elements and characters tie into Kong: King of Skull Island, enabling the two separate books to form a continuous storyline. In 2013, the first of two books featuring crossovers with pulp heroes was published. To coincide with the 80th anniversary of both King Kong and Doc Savage, Altus Press published Doc Savage: Skull Island in both softcover and hardcover editions. This officially sanctioned book was written by Will Murray and based on concepts by DeVito.[196] In 2016, Altus Press published the other crossover book, this time featuring a meeting between King Kong and Tarzan. The novel, called King Kong vs. Tarzan, was once again written by Will Murray and featured artwork by DeVito.[197] In 2017, a new book featuring another origin story, written and illustrated by DeVito, was released, called King Kong of Skull Island.[198] Expanded versions of the book titled King Kong Skull Island: Exodus and King Kong Skull Island: The Wall were released by Markosia in 2020.[199]

In March 2017, to coincide with the release of Kong: Skull Island, Titan Books released a novelization of the film written by Tim Lebbon and a hardcover book The Art and Making of Kong: Skull Island by Simon Ward.[200]

In 2021, to coincide with the release of Godzilla vs Kong, various tie-in books were released. On March 30, Legendary Comics released a graphic prequel novel called Kingdom Kong written by Marie Anello,[201] as well as a children's picture book called Kong and Me written by Kiki Thorpe and illustrated by Nidhi Chanani.[202] On April 6, Titan Books released Godzilla vs. Kong: The Official Movie Novelization written by Greg Keyes.[203] Insight Editions released a children's board book called Godzilla vs. Kong: Sometimes Friends Fight (But They Always Make Up) written by Carol Herring,[204] and on May 21, also released Godzilla vs. Kong: One Will Fall, The Art of the Ultimate Battle Royale written by Daniel Wallace.[205]

Theme park rides edit

 
Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Universal Studios has had popular King Kong attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California and Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The first King Kong attraction was called King Kong Encounter and was a part of the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. Based upon the 1976 film King Kong, the tour took the guests in the world of 1976 New York City, where Kong was seen wreaking havoc on the city. It was opened on June 14, 1986, and was destroyed on June 1, 2008, in a major fire. Universal opened a replacement 3D King Kong ride called King Kong: 360 3-D that opened on July 1, 2010, based upon Peter Jackson's 2005 film King Kong.[206][207]

A second more elaborate ride was constructed at Universal Studios Florida on June 7, 1990, called Kongfrontation. The ride featured a stand-alone extended version of King Kong Encounter and pinned guests escaping on the Roosevelt Island Tramway from Kong, who was rampaging across New York City. The ride was closed down on September 8, 2002, and was replaced with Revenge of the Mummy on May 21, 2004.

A new King Kong attraction titled Skull Island: Reign of Kong opened at Islands of Adventure on July 13, 2016,[208] making it the first King Kong themed ride in Orlando since Kongfrontation closed down 14 years earlier at Universal Studios Florida.

A Kong ride made by HUSS Park Attractions also appeared in Changzhou China Dinosaur Park and was opened in 2010. In this ride Kong will pick up the wagon, lower it down and tilt it all kinds of directions.[209]

Musical edit

Further information: King Kong (2013 musical)

A musical adaptation of the story (endorsed by Merian C. Cooper's estate)[210] was staged in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre. The show premiered on June 15, 2013, as King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of The World, with music by Marius De Vries. The musical then premiered on Broadway on November 8, 2018, at the Broadway Theatre as King Kong: Alive on Broadway. The creative team included book writer Jack Thorne, director-choreographer Drew McOnie, and Australian songwriter Eddie Perfect, who replace the former creatives.[211]

The huge King Kong puppet was created by Global Creature Technology.[212] The puppet stands 20 feet tall and weighs 2,400 pounds. It is operated by a large rig with 10 onstage puppeteers,[213] and features an array of microprocessors and tiny motors that power nuanced movements in the facial features.[214] According to Sonny Tilders, who designed the Fiberglas and steel puppet for Global Creatures Company, "It's the most sophisticated marionette puppet ever made". Tilders also stated that Kong is built in layers, and is "quite similar to genuine anatomy". Over the steel skeleton, the body shell is a mixture of hard Fiberglas, enforced inflatables, high-pressure inflatables, and bags full of styrene beans that stretch and contort like muscles. Tilders said that they wanted to create the sense that Kong is a moving sculpture.[215]

Other appearances edit

King Kong had three cameos in Warner Bros films:

Other references edit

  • King Kong, in name only, was referenced by Ian Malcolm as a sarcastic remark toward the gates of Jurassic Park in the titular 1993 film.
  • A frame of King Kong in the 1933 film can be seen for a split second during the 2008 monster film Cloverfield.[219]
  • Both King Kong and Skull Island were referenced and made multiple appearances in the 2019 film Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

See also edit

King Kong in the name edit

 
A publicity still of Isamu Yamaguchi playing King Kong on stage from Wasei Kingu Kongu.

There were other unofficial movies to have borne the "King Kong" name:

  • A lost silent Japanese short, Japanese King Kong (和製キングコング, Wasei Kingu Kongu), directed by Torajiro Saito, featuring an all-Japanese cast and produced by the Shochiku company, was released in 1933. The plot revolves around a down-on-his-luck man who plays the King Kong character in a vaudeville theater to earn money to woo a girl he likes. The film does not actually involve King Kong per se.
  • King Kong Appears in Edo (江戸に現れたキングコング, Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu). A lost two-part silent Japanese period piece that was produced by a company called Zensho Kinema in 1938. The film revolves around kidnapping and revenge amongst the characters. The "King Kong" in this film is a trained ape (that looks more like a Yeti) who is used to kidnap one of the characters. Judging by the plot synopsis presented by periodicals at the time, the "King Kong" is regular-sized and is only depicted as gigantic on the advertisements for promotional purposes.[220]
  • The 1959 Hong Kong film King Kong's Adventures in the Heavenly Palace(猩猩王大鬧天宮) which featured a normal-sized gorilla.[221]
  • The Hindi films King Kong (1962) and Tarzan and King Kong (1965) which featured the professional wrestler King Kong and has nothing to do with the famous movie monster, although the latter film featured a normal-sized gorilla.
  • The 1968 Italian film Kong Island (Eva, la Venere selvaggia, lit. 'Eve, the wild Venus') which was advertised in the U.S. as King of Kong Island. Despite the American title, the film featured normal-sized gorillas and takes place in Africa.
  • The 1981 Mexican film Las Muñecas Del King Kong (The Dolls of King Kong) which featured exotic jungle girls. The "King Kong" in the film was simply a giant ape statue on top of a building.

Related films edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Ownership over the RKO Radio Pictures-produced 1933 films King Kong and Son of Kong were passed on to Warner Bros. (via Turner Entertainment Co.)[2] Warner Bros. also owns Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
  2. ^ Universal owns the 2005 remake King Kong, Kong-related theme park attractions, and the copyright to the American versions of King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes; Toho Co., Ltd retains exclusive distribution in the Far East for the Japanese versions of King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes.[3][4]
  3. ^ Ownership over the 1976 remake King Kong and its 1986 sequel King Kong Lives were inherited by StudioCanal after they absorbed De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. Paramount Pictures retains domestic distribution of the 1976 remake.[5]
  4. ^ See King Kong vs. Godzilla § Box office
  5. ^ See King Kong Escapes § Box office
  6. ^ See King Kong Lives § Box office

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January 16, 2024
king, kong, franchise, king, kong, american, monster, media, franchise, that, consists, thirteen, films, well, television, novels, comic, books, video, games, attractions, other, merchandise, franchise, centered, king, kong, giant, living, primordial, island, . King Kong is an American monster media franchise that consists of thirteen films as well as television novels comic books video games attractions and other merchandise The franchise is centered on King Kong a giant ape living on a primordial island inhabited by prehistoric creatures The original film King Kong was co directed by Merian C Cooper creator of the character and Ernest B Schoedsack and was released on March 2 1933 it was a box office success despite opening during the Great Depression The film s stop motion effects by Willis H O Brien revolutionized special effects leaving a lasting impact on the film industry worldwide King KongLogo used in marketing materials for the original 1933 film Created byMerian C Cooper 1 Original workKing Kong 1933 OwnerWarner Bros a through Turner Entertainment Co Universal Pictures b StudioCanal c Years1933 presentPrint publicationsComicsFull listFilms and televisionFilm s 13 films 1933 presentTelevision seriesFull listTheatrical presentationsMusical s King Kong 2013 MiscellaneousCrossover seriesMonsterVerseTwelve films have followed since the franchise s 1933 debut with Kong typically serving as a benevolent and at times violent protagonist Ownership over each film varies since Kong was licensed to various studios but the original 1933 film and its sequel were produced and owned by RKO Radio Pictures until the films were inherited by Warner Bros via Turner Entertainment Co in 1996 The franchise has experienced several hiatuses and revivals and it has inspired other genre films during intervals such as Mighty Joe Young The Beast from 20 000 Fathoms 6 Creature from the Black Lagoon 7 Godzilla 8 Mothra 9 and Jurassic Park 10 11 Contents 1 History 1 1 1930s 1 2 1960s 1 3 1970s 1980s 1 4 1990s 1 5 2000s 1 6 2010s present 2 Filmography 2 1 Theatrical features 2 2 Direct to video animations 2 3 Television 3 Reception 3 1 Box office performance 3 2 Critical and public response 4 Cultural impact 5 Other media 5 1 Video games 5 2 Literature 5 3 Theme park rides 5 4 Musical 5 5 Other appearances 5 6 Other references 6 See also 6 1 King Kong in the name 6 2 Related films 7 Notes 8 References 8 1 BibliographyHistory edit nbsp nbsp Live action and animated variants of King Kong between 1933 2021 1930s edit Main articles King Kong 1933 film and Son of Kong In 1933 RKO Pictures produced and released King Kong and became a box office success despite opening during the great depression earning 90 000 in its first four days 12 The film s success spawned a sequel nine months later Son of Kong as well as a multimedia franchise spanning remakes reboots books videos games attractions parodies and references 13 14 15 The film grossed 10 million at the box office and earned an additional 2 5 million when it was re released in 1952 16 17 The film revolutionized special effects specifically stop motion that left a long lasting impact in the film industry worldwide with effects animator Willis H O Brien largely credited for pioneering the medium 18 19 20 King Kong 1933 is widely regarded by critics and journalists as a masterpiece and a signature facet of American cinema 21 22 23 and is cited as one of the greatest monster films ever made 24 25 26 King Kong 1933 was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation 14 1960s edit Main articles King Kong vs Godzilla The King Kong Show and King Kong Escapes In the early 1960s O Brien developed a story outline titled King Kong vs Frankenstein supplemented with water color illustrations and sketches in the hopes of igniting interest for a potential production in color Impressed with O Brien s pitch RKO attorney Daniel O Shea granted O Brien permission to use the character and introduced him to independent film producer John Beck to help secure studio funding Despite hiring George Worthing Yates to adapt O Brien s outline into a full screenplay retitled as King Kong vs Prometheus in reference to the original Mary Shelley book and meeting with several studios and directors Beck failed to sell the project in Hollywood and instead reached out to foreign studios 27 Beck succeeded in striking a deal with Toho Co Ltd the producers behind Godzilla 1954 However Toho was mostly interested in licensing King Kong from RKO and Beck rather than acquiring O Brien s story as a result Frankenstein Prometheus was replaced with Godzilla and the project was redeveloped as King Kong vs Godzilla Beck s deal with Toho was done without O Brien s knowledge or consent and a lawsuit was prepared presumably against Beck for unauthorized use of O Brien s ideas in the film However the lawsuit was dropped due to attorney fees and O Brien died on November 8 1962 27 Unlike King Kong 1933 the special effects were accomplished with suitmation and miniature sets also known as tokusatsu with King Kong portrayed by Shoichi Hirose and Godzilla portrayed by Haruo Nakajima stop motion was also used in a few brief scenes 28 Toho theatrically released King Kong vs Godzilla on August 11 1962 in Japan and was a box office success having sold 11 2 million tickets during its initial theatrical run accumulating 352 million 972 000 in distribution rental earnings 29 The film became the second highest grossing Japanese produced film in history upon its release 30 and was the fourth highest grossing film released in Japan that year as well as Toho s second biggest release 31 Because Toho was so eager to acquire King Kong they agreed to cede to Beck theatrical and television distribution rights for the United States Canada Alaska the United Kingdom and Israel while Toho retained exclusive distribution for the Far East Beck s contract also granted him the right to produce his own version and commissioned a heavily localized version with new footage using American actors and replacing Akira Ifukube s score with stock music from Universal Pictures library Beck sold his localized version to Universal International who made a deal to retain copyrights to the American version for 40 years 4 The American version of King Kong vs Godzilla was released in the United States on June 26 1963 32 The Japanese version remained unavailable officially outside of Japan until 2019 when American distributor The Criterion Collection included both Japanese and American versions in a Blu ray set collecting the Shōwa era Godzilla films 33 In 1966 American studio Rankin Bass Animated Entertainment acquired the rights from RKO to produce an animated series and a new live action film A joint venture between Rankin Bass and Japanese studio Toei Animation The King Kong Show premiered on ABC in September 1966 34 Around that time Rankin Bass made a deal with Toho to co produced their King Kong film that would have been promotionally tied to The King Kong Show Toho presented a script titled Operation Robinson Crusoe King Kong vs Ebirah but Rankin Bass vetoed the script and Toho proceeded without Rankin Bass King Kong was replaced with Godzilla and the film was redeveloped as Ebirah Horror of the Deep 35 36 In September 1966 Toho had sent Rankin Bass a proposed synopsis for a new film titled King Kong Escapes which was loosely based on The King Kong Show though some elements from Operation Robinson Crusoe King Kong vs Ebirah remained such as over the top villains from an unnamed nation illegal production of fuel for nuclear weapons and scenes in the South Seas The proposal was accepted and filming began in spring 1967 36 with Haruo Nakajima playing King Kong via suitmation 37 Toho theatrically released King Kong Escapes on July 22 1967 in Japan but failed to match the box office success of King Kong vs Godzilla 38 Universal Pictures released an English dubbed version in the United States the following year similar to what they had done with King Kong vs Godzilla Universal made a deal to retain the copyright of the American version for 40 years 4 1970s 1980s edit Main articles King Kong 1976 film and King Kong Lives Accounts vary as to the genesis of the 1976 remake While producer Dino De Laurentiis has claimed it was his idea to remake King Kong after seeing a poster of the 1933 film in his daughter s room Michael Eisner then vice president of ABC equally claimed to have conceived the idea of a remake in December 1974 after watching the 1933 film on television and nonchalantly mentioned such an idea to Sidney Sheinberg then president and CEO of MCA Inc and Universal Pictures Sheinberg also mentioned the idea to Barry Diller then president of Paramount Pictures Sheinberg and Diller soon began to concurrently develop their own King Kong remakes both unaware of the other s project Diller hired De Laurentiis to produce on behalf of Paramount while Sheinberg hired Hunt Stromberg Jr to produce for Universal On April 15 1975 Universal s attorney Arnold Shane and De Laurentiis both unaware of the other s appointment met with RKO s attorney Daniel O Shea to negotiate in acquiring the rights Despite not signing documents both parties left believing they had secured the rights for their respected studios however Paramount had signed their deal with RKO the following month and soon learned about Universal s own film after they announced Joseph Sargent to direct and Bo Goldman to write the script titled The Legend of King Kong 39 Universal and Paramount soon engaged in litigation Universal insisted that a verbal agreement was made with RKO demanded 25 million in damages from De Laurentiis and RKO and asserted that the material was in public domain by then since Universal published a novelization of the King Kong story in the 1930s De Laurentiis countersued for copyright infringement demanding 90 million in damages and pushed his film into production while also publishing ads that jabbed at Universal e g There Still is Only One King Kong In January 1976 negotiations were made to potentially have both studios co produce a single film and share profits but De Laurentiis rejected Universal s proposal of using their script and controlling the merchandise Litigation ended that same month after De Laurentiis agreed to pay an undisclosed percentage for Universal s cancelled film with Universal vowing to produce their own King Kong film at an undetermined date 39 Carlo Rambaldi lead an effects team that built Kong s giant hand and a 40 foot tall robot of Kong its construction overseen by Glen Robinson Like the Toho films an ape suit was used to bring Kong to life with special make up effects artist Rick Baker portraying the character The 40 foot robot cost roughly 2 million while the giant hand and suit cost an additional 400 000 and a full sized static Kong made of styrofoam used for one scene cost 300 000 The production was a rushed venture since the studio set the film s release date for December 1976 and De Laurentiis persistence to beat Universal As a result delays occurred due to props and mechanics malfunctioning two full scale right hands produced by mistake director John Guillermin s tyrant like behavior on set the budget inflating to 24 million and marketing costs of 10 million figures unheard of at the time Paramount theatrically released King Kong on December 17 1976 and grossed 90 million Despite mixed reviews unfavorably comparing the remake to the original the film won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects shared with Logan s Run 39 In 1977 De Laurentiis stated that a sequel to the 1976 remake would definitely be produced 40 However development on a sequel was impaired by the remake s disappointing box office results and legal complications over the ownership of the King Kong character 41 Writer Steven Pressfield stated that various scripts were written that he described as embarrassing Despite initially skeptical of a female Kong De Laurentiis ultimately approved of Pressfield s and Ronald Shusett pitch of Kong put in a respirator and restored with an artificial heart 42 Guillermin returned to direct the sequel after finances collapsed for a film adaptation of Tai Pan with Sean Connery 43 The film was announced in October 1985 and filming began in April 1986 in Tennessee for a December release later that year 44 45 King Kong Lives was theatrically released on December 19 1986 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group and was met with a poor response The film flopped at the box office 46 grossing 4 7 million in the United States and Canada 47 and was panned by critics 48 1990s edit Main articles King Kong 2005 film Earlier attempts and 1990s and The Mighty Kong In 1993 Toho had considered remaking King Kong vs Godzilla due to that film being their most successful Godzilla Kong film to date However Toho concluded that re acquiring the rights to King Kong would prove difficult and instead considered using the cyborg Mechani Kong seen in The King Kong Show and Toho s King Kong Escapes Effects director Kōichi Kawakita regaled an idea inspired by Fantastic Voyage where Mechani Kong would have injected people inside Godzilla s body to battle the beast internally while Mechani Kong battled Godzilla externally Kawakita stated that the concept would have explored different worlds inside Godzilla However Toho walked back on using Mechani Kong since the character bore a likeness to King Kong and thus required obtaining the rights Mechani Kong was replaced with Mechagodzilla and the film was redeveloped as Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II 49 In 1995 Universal Pictures offered filmmaker Peter Jackson a chance to direct a remake of King Kong after being impressed with Jackson s The Frighteners 50 Licensing the character from RKO and WarnerMedia was no longer an issue because the character of Kong fell into public domain by that point 51 Jackson initially turned down the offer but reneged on his decision after fearing that the remake would fail under a different director 52 Around that time Jackson was attached to direct live action film adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but proceeded with King Kong due to producer Harvey Weinstein taking too long to acquire the rights To placate Weinstein s anger Jackson brokered a co financing co distributing deal for King Kong that benefited all parties Pre production commenced with filmmaker Robert Zemeckis on board as executive producer and Universal approved the script co written by Jackson and his wife Fran Walsh with filming planned to commence in 1997 for a potential 1998 release 50 However Universal halted progress in January 1997 after growing concern over competition from the then upcoming releases of TriStar s Godzilla and Disney s Mighty Joe Young both released in 1998 53 Universal aborted King Kong the following month despite Weta FX and Weta Workshop having already designed six months worth of pre production and Jackson reverted to helm The Lord of the Rings trilogy 54 52 Years later Jackson and his frequent collaborator Christian Rivers noted striking resemblances in tone between Jackson s unused King Kong script and Universal s 1999 remake of The Mummy 55 In 1998 Warner Bros released The Mighty Kong direct to video An animated musical remake of the 1933 film it features the voices of Dudley Moore Jodi Benson Bill Sage Jason Gray Stanford and Richard Newman The film received negative reviews and is placed in the low tier end of most ranking lists of King Kong films 56 57 58 2000s edit Main articles Kong The Animated Series and King Kong 2005 film In response to the success of Columbia TriStar Television s animated series Godzilla The Series BKN International produced Kong The Animated Series and ran on syndicated television between 2000 and 2001 The series is a direct sequel to the 1933 film and focuses on a new Kong cloned from the DNA of both the 1933 Kong and a young man named Jason and as a result Jason is able to link with Kong via a special device in moments of crisis The series generated two direct to video animated films Kong King of Atlantis 2005 and Kong Return to the Jungle 2006 59 60 61 After the success of The Lord of the Rings films The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers Universal approached Jackson in early 2003 during post production on The Return of the King about reviving his King Kong remake In March 2003 Universal scheduled a 2005 release date and Philippa Boyens was hired to rewrite Jackson s and Walsh s 1996 script but Jackson began to work on a new script in October 2003 that was closer to the 1933 film after being dissatisfied with the 1996 script They included unused elements from James Ashmore Creelman s script of the 1933 film such as the lost spider pit scene Delos W Lovelace s 1932 novelization was also a source of inspiration Weta Workshop and Weta Digital began to work immediately on King Kong after the completion of The Return of the King and Jackson had brought back the crew that worked with him on The Lord of the Rings trilogy Filming began in September 2004 with Andy Serkis portraying Kong via motion capture acting 53 54 50 62 Universal theatrically released King Kong on December 13 2005 to generally positive reviews with the film appearing in several top ten lists for 2005 63 64 The film received four Academy Award nominations for Visual Effects Sound Mixing Sound Editing and Production Design winning all but the last 65 66 Jackson had also directed a recreation of the lost spider pit sequence that was featured on the 2005 DVD release of the 1933 film 67 68 2010s present edit Main articles Kong King of the Apes MonsterVerse Kong Skull Island Godzilla vs Kong Skull Island TV series and Godzilla x Kong The New Empire In 2013 Jackson and producer Mary Parent had intended to produce Skull Island a direct sequel to his 2005 remake and handpicked then up and coming director Adam Wingard to direct it However Jackson and Wingard dropped out of the project but Parent remained after Legendary Pictures took over the project and redeveloped it as a prequel Parent eventually became Legendary s production chief 69 In July 2014 Legendary announced the film at San Diego Comic Con s Hall H with Max Borenstein writer of Legendary s 2014 Godzilla film to write the script Legendary initially targeted a November 4 2016 release and had offered Joe Cornish to direct it 70 Around that time Jackson expressed interest in seeing Guillermo del Toro direct the film 71 In September 2014 Legendary announced Jordan Vogt Roberts as the director with Tom Hiddleston leading the film 72 In September 2015 Legendary moved the film retitled Kong Skull Island from Universal to Warner Bros to unite the King Kong and Godzilla properties under one studio 73 In October 2015 Legendary officially announced their plans for a shared cinematic franchise between King Kong and Godzilla that would culminate in a Godzilla vs Kong film at the time slated for a 2020 release 74 In January 2017 Legendary s Godzilla Kong series was revealed as the MonsterVerse after it was announced that Legendary founder Thomas Tull would resign but remain as producer on the MonsterVerse films 75 Inspired by Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now Borenstein had originally envisioned a war film that began in the Vietnam War and jumped to the present day however Legendary rejected this idea Borenstein then wrote a draft set in 1917 while retaining the Apocalypse Now concept That version saw Hiddleston playing a character leading a rescue mission into Skull Island to find his brother who came to the island in search of a cure all serum 76 77 After Vogt Roberts joined the film he liked Borenstein s original Vietname era pitch and convinced Legendary to set the film near the end of the Vietnam war 78 For Kong s design Vogt Roberts took the character back the look of the 1933 iteration wanting him to look straightforward yet iconic enough that a child could draw him and wanted Kong to reflect a lonely and morose God 79 Terry Notary portrayed Kong via performance capture while Toby Kebbell provided additional facial work Notary sought Serkis blessing before accepting the role 80 81 Principal photography began in October 2015 in Hawaii and Vietnam and wrapped in March 2016 82 Kong Skull Island was released on March 10 2017 to positive reviews 83 84 and was a box office success grossing 566 million worldwide against a budget of 185 million 85 The film received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards 86 In April 2016 writer and artist Joe DeVito sued Legendary and Warner Bros for breach of implied contract alleging that they had stolen ideas and concepts from pitch meetings he had with Legendary in April 2014 He claimed Legendary turned him down yet used his ideas as the basis for their film without credit or compensation and sought 3 5 million in general and punitive damages 87 That same month Netflix released the animated series Kong King of the Apes a joint venture between 41 Entertainment and Avi Arad the series ran for two seasons 88 89 In March 2017 Legendary had assembled a writers room for Godzilla vs Kong with Terry Rossio who had co written an unproduced script for TriStar s Godzilla 90 leading a team consisting of Patrick McKay J D Payne Lindsey Beer Cat Vasko T S Nowlin Jack Paglen and J Michael Straczynski 91 At that time Wingard had a general meeting with Parent who recalled that Jackson had approved of Wingard and was announced as the director of Godzilla vs Kong in May 2017 92 69 Around that same time MarVista Entertainment and IM Global announced their own live action King Kong project for television written by Jonathan Penner and Stacy Title the series is to be based on DeVito s materials approved by the Cooper estate 93 Filming for Godzilla vs Kong began in November 2018 in Hawaii Australia and Hong Kong and wrapped in April 2019 94 95 For the ocean battle scene animation supervisor Eric Petey provided the full body and facial capture for Kong 96 The film endured several delays largely due to the COVID 19 pandemic but was finally released internationally on March 24 2021 and on March 31 2021 in the United States the latter which saw a concurrent release in theaters and on HBO Max 97 98 The film received generally positive reviews and became a box office and streaming hit during the pandemic it became the most successful launch item in HBO Max s history until it was overtaken by Mortal Kombat 99 100 101 The film grossed 470 million worldwide against a break even point of 330 million 100 102 and became the most pirated film of 2021 103 Prior to the release of Godzilla vs Kong Legendary announced in January 2021 an animated series titled Skull Island A joint venture between Legendary Television Tractor Pants Productions Powerhouse Animation Studios and Netflix Animation the series is scheduled to released on June 22 2023 on Netflix 104 105 Due to the success of Godzilla vs Kong Legendary announced a sequel in March 2022 scheduled to commence filming later that same year 106 In May 2022 it was announced that Wingard would return to direct and that Dan Stevens had been cast in the lead Wingard and Stevens had previously worked together on The Guest 107 Filming began in July 2022 in Gold Coast Queensland and finished in November 2022 108 109 In April 2023 Legendary released a teaser trailer revealing the film s official title as Godzilla x Kong The New Empire 110 The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on March 29 2024 111 In August 2022 Disney Branded Television announced plans for a live action series of their own for Disney The series is to be co produced by James Wan s Atomic Monster Productions and written by Stephany Folsom and would be based on Cooper s original books and DeVito s new novelizations focusing on a new Kong in modern times with characters exploring the origins and mysteries of his home island 112 Filmography editTheatrical features edit Film Release date Director s Story by Screenwriter s Producer s Distributor s King Kong March 2 1933 1933 03 02 Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsack 113 Edgar Wallace and Merian C Cooper 113 James Creelman and Ruth Rose 113 Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsack 113 RKO Pictures 113 Son of Kong December 22 1933 1933 12 22 Ernest B Schoedsack Ruth Rose Ernest B SchoedsackKing Kong vs Godzilla August 11 1962 1962 08 11 Ishirō Honda 114 Japan Thomas Montgomery 115 U S Shinichi Sekizawa 114 Japan Paul Mason and Bruce Howard 115 U S Tomoyuki Tanaka 114 Japan John Beck 115 U S Toho Co Ltd 32 Japan Universal International 32 U S King Kong Escapes July 22 1967 1967 07 22 Ishirō Honda Arthur Rankin Jr Takeshi Kimura Tomoyuki Tanaka and Arthur Rankin Jr King Kong December 17 1976 1976 12 17 John Guillermin Lorenzo Semple Jr Dino De Laurentiis Paramount PicturesKing Kong Lives December 19 1986 1986 12 19 Ronald Shusett and Steven Pressfield Martha Schumacher De Laurentiis Entertainment GroupKing Kong December 14 2005 2005 12 14 Peter Jackson Fran Walsh Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson Jan Blenkin Carolynne Cunningham Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson Universal PicturesKong Skull Island March 10 2017 2017 03 10 Jordan Vogt Roberts John Gatins Dan Gilroy Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly Thomas Tull Jon Jashni Alex Garcia and Mary Parent Warner Bros Godzilla vs Kong March 24 2021 2021 03 24 Adam Wingard Terry Rossio Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein Thomas Tull Jon Jashni Brian Rogers Mary Parent Alex Garcia and Eric McLeod 116 Godzilla x Kong The New Empire March 29 2024 2024 03 29 Terry Rossio Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett 117 Terry Rossio Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater 117 Direct to video animations edit Film Release date Director s Story by Screenwriter s Producer s Distributor s The Mighty Kong June 16 1998 1998 06 16 Art Scott William J Keenan Denis deVallanceLyn Henderson Warner Bros Home EntertainmentKong King of Atlantis November 22 2005 2005 11 22 Patrick Archibald Patrick ArchibaldSean Catherine DerekChuck Patton Sean Catherine Derek Allen Bohbot BKN InternationalKong Return to the Jungle November 14 2006 2006 11 14 Stuart Evans Sean Catherine DerekRick Ungar Allen BohbotRick UngarTelevision edit Series Seasons Episodes First released Last released Showrunner s Network s The King Kong Show 3 26 September 10 1966 August 31 1969 Arthur Rankin Jr Jules Bass ABC United States NET Japan Kong The Animated Series 2 24 May 2 2001 2001 Sean Catherine DerekRomain Van Leimt M6Kong King of the Apes 2 23 April 15 2016 May 4 2018 Avi AradAllen Bohbot NetflixSkull Island 1 8 June 22 2023 Brian Duffield and Jacob RobinsonAllen BohbotReception editBox office performance edit Film Year Box office gross revenue est Ticket sales est BudgetUnited States and Canada Other territories Worldwide Ref United States and Canada 118 Japan 119 King Kong 1933 10 000 000 1 777 000 120 11 777 000 121 7 800 000 122 672 000Son of Kong 1933 616 000 616 000 123 1 760 000 269 000King Kong vs Godzilla 1962 2 700 000 29 7 667 650 10 367 650 d 3 200 000 12 600 000 124 620 000King Kong Escapes 1967 3 000 000 3 000 000 e 2 300 000 King Kong 1976 52 614 445 38 000 000 90 614 445 125 24 701 600 126 23 000 000 24 000 000King Kong Lives 1986 4 711 220 127 44 200 000 48 911 220 f 1 231 200 128 18 000 000King Kong 2005 218 080 025 344 283 424 562 363 449 129 33 885 140 130 1 900 000 131 207 000 000Kong Skull Island 2017 168 052 812 398 600 000 566 652 812 132 18 970 200 133 1 680 000 134 185 000 000Godzilla vs Kong 2021 100 315 000 363 100 000 463 415 000 135 160 000 000Total 550 429 502 1 182 496 698 1 722 926 200 93 848 140 16 180 000 595 561 000N A no know data Critical and public response edit Film Rotten Tomatoes MetacriticKing Kong 1933 98 58 reviews 136 90 12 reviews 137 Son of Kong 36 11 reviews 138 50 6 reviews 139 King Kong vs Godzilla 47 15 reviews 140 40 4 reviews 141 King Kong Escapes King Kong 1976 53 36 reviews 142 61 11 reviews 143 King Kong Lives 8 10 reviews 144 32 9 reviews 145 The Mighty Kong King Kong 2005 84 262 reviews 146 81 39 reviews 147 Kong Skull Island 75 389 reviews 148 62 49 reviews 149 Godzilla vs Kong 75 378 reviews 150 59 57 reviews Cultural impact editMain article King Kong in popular culture King Kong as well as the series of films featuring him have been featured many times in popular culture outside of the films themselves in forms ranging from straight copies to parodies and joke references and in media from comic books to video games The Beatles 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine includes a scene of the characters opening a door to reveal King Kong abducting a woman from her bed The Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror III features a segment called King Homer which parodies the plot of the original film with Homer as Kong and Marge in the Ann Darrow role It ends with King Homer marrying Marge and eating her father citation needed The British comedy TV series The Goodies made an episode called Kitten Kong in which a giant cat called Twinkle roams the streets of London knocking over the British Telecom Tower The controversial World War II Dutch resistance fighter Christiaan Lindemans eventually arrested on suspicion of having betrayed secrets to the Nazis was nicknamed King Kong due to his being exceptionally tall 151 Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention recorded an instrumental about King Kong in 1967 and featured it on the album Uncle Meat Zappa went on to make many other versions of the song on albums such as Make a Jazz Noise Here You Can t Do That on Stage Anymore Vol 3 Ahead of Their Time and Beat the Boots The Kinks recorded a song called King Kong as the B side to their 1969 Plastic Man single In 1972 a 550 cm 18 ft fiberglass statue of King Kong was erected in Birmingham England The second track of The Jimmy Castor Bunch album Supersound from 1975 is titled King Kong 152 Filk Music artists Ookla the Mok s Song of Kong which explores the reasons why King Kong and Godzilla should not be roommates appears on their 2001 album Smell No Evil citation needed Daniel Johnston wrote and recorded a song called King Kong on his fifth self released music cassette Yip Jump Music in 1983 rereleased on CD and double LP by Homestead Records in 1988 The song is an a cappella narrative of the original movie s story line Tom Waits recorded a cover version of the song with various sound effects on the 2004 release The Late Great Daniel Johnston Discovered Covered ABBA recorded King Kong Song for their 1974 album Waterloo Although later singled out by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus as one of their weakest tracks 153 it was released as a single in 1977 to coincide with the 1976 film playing in theatres Other media editVideo games edit Title Year Developer Publisher Platforms1 King Kong 1982 Tigervision Tigervision Atari 26002 King Kong 2 Ikari no Megaton Punch 1986 Konami Konami Nintendo Family Computer3 King Kong 2 Yomigaeru Densetsu 1986 Konami Konami MSX24 King Kong The Eighth Wonder of the World 1990 Data East Data East Pinball5 Kong King of Atlantis 2005 Skyworks Interactive and Game Titan Majesco Game Boy Advance6 Kong The 8th Wonder of the World 2005 Ubisoft Ubisoft Game Boy Advance7 Peter Jackson s King Kong 2005 Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft Game Boy Advance GameCube Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Xbox Nintendo DS Xbox 360 PlayStation Portable8 Godzilla Daikaiju Battle Royale 154 155 2012 AWM Studio Productions AWM Studio Productions Online9 Colossal Kaiju Combat 156 157 158 159 2014 delayed Sunstone Games Sunstone Games Sega PS4 Nintendo 3DS and Switch Steam PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo 3DS Switch10 KONG VR Destination Skull Island 160 2017 Warner Bros Pictures Warner Bros Pictures Virtual reality11 Call of Duty Warzone 2022 Raven Software Activision Publishing Battle net PlayStation 4 Xbox One PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X S12 Skull Island Rise of Kong 2023 IguanaBee GameMill Entertainment PlayStation 5 PlayStation 4 Xbox Series X S Xbox One Nintendo Switch SteamVarious electronic games featuring King Kong have been released through the years by numerous companies These range from handheld LCD games to video games to pinball machines Tiger Electronics released various King Kong games in the early 1980s including a Tabletop LCD game in 1981 161 a video game for the Atari 2600 home video game system in 1982 162 a handheld game in 1982 in both a regular edition 163 a large screen edition 164 the regular edition was later reissued by Tandy in 1984 165 an Orlitronic game for the international markets in 1983 166 and a color Flip Up game in 1984 167 Epoch Co released two LCD games in 1982 One was King Kong New York 168 and the other was King Kong Jungle 169 Konami released two games based on the film King Kong Lives in 1986 The first game was King Kong 2 Ikari no Megaton Punch for the Famicom and the second was King Kong 2 Yomigaeru Densetsu 170 for the MSX computer In 1988 Konami featured the character in the crossover game Konami Wai Wai World All of these games were only released in Japan Data East planned to release a pinball machine called King Kong The Eighth Wonder of the World 171 in 1990 but only 9 units were made In 1992 Nintendo produced an educational game called Mario is Missing that features a treasure hunt level involving King Kong in New York City The character is represented by images of his arm grabbing the Empire State Building in the NES version and a full body statue in the SNES version Bam Entertainment released a Game Boy Advance game based on Kong The Animated Series in 2002 172 MGA Entertainment released an electronic handheld King Kong game packaged with a small figurine in 2003 173 Majesco Entertainment released a Game Boy Advance game based on the straight to video animated film Kong King of Atlantis in 2005 174 In 2005 Ubisoft released two video games based on the 2005 King Kong Peter Jackson s King Kong The Official Game of the Movie was released on all video game platforms while Kong The 8th Wonder of the World was released for the Game Boy Advance Also to tie into the film Gameloft released King Kong The Official Mobile Game of the Movie 175 for mobile phones while Radio Shack released a miniature pinball game 176 Taiyo Elec Co released a King Kong Pachinko game in 2007 177 King Kong appears in the Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment game Lego Dimensions He appears as a boss in The Lego Batman Movie pack citation needed In 2021 Raw Thrills released a cinematic virtual reality motion game called King Kong of Skull Island 178 Also in 2021 King Kong became a playable character in the Toho mobile game Godzilla Battle Line as part of a crossover promotion with the film Godzilla vs Kong 179 In 2022 King Kong appears as a non playable character alongside Godzilla in Call of Duty Warzone Once again as part of a crossover promotion with Godzilla vs Kong the update is titled Operation Monarch A cosmetic outfit based on Kong is also released for both Warzone and Call of Duty Vanguard 180 Also that year Kong appeared in the game World of Warships 181 Also in 2022 King Kong appeared in the mobile game Kong Skull Island x Evony The King s Return as a tie in to the film Kong Skull Island by Evony LLC 182 In 2023 Zen Studios released a three pack video game collection for Pinball FX called Godzilla vs Kong Pinball Pack which features three games Kong Pinball Godzilla Pinball and Godzilla vs Kong Pinball 183 Also in 2023 GameMill Entertainment released Skull Island Rise of Kong for all platforms 184 Besides starring in his own games King Kong was the obvious influence behind other city destroying gigantic apes such as George from the Rampage series 185 Woo from King of the Monsters who was modeled after the Toho version of the character and Congar from War of the Monsters as well as giant apes worshiped as deities like Chaos and Blizzard from Primal Rage Literature edit Main article King Kong comics nbsp Cover of the 1932 novelization of King Kong written by Delos W Lovelace This novelization was released just over two months before the film premiered in New York City on March 2 1933 Over the decades there have been numerous books novels and comic books based on King Kong by various publishers In December 1932 as the film King Kong was finishing production Merian C Cooper asked his friend Delos W Lovelace to adapt the film s screenplay into a novelization Published by Grosset amp Dunlap the book was released later that month on December 27 186 just over 2 months before the film premiered on March 2 1933 This was a part of the film s advance marketing campaign The novelization was credited as being based on the Screenplay by James A Creelman and Ruth Rose Novelized from the Radio Picture The byline written under the title was Conceived by Edgar Wallace and Merian C Cooper However despite the credit Wallace had very little to do with the story or the character In an interview author artist Joe DeVito explains From what I know Edgar Wallace a famous writer of the time died very early in the process Little if anything of his ever appeared in the final story but his name was retained for its saleability King Kong was Cooper s creation a fantasy manifestation of his real life adventures As many have mentioned before Cooper was Carl Denham His actual exploits rival anything Indiana Jones ever did in the movies 187 This conclusion about Wallace s contribution was verified in the book The Making of King Kong by Orville Goldner and George E Turner 1975 where Wallace stated in his diary Merian Cooper called and we talked over the big animal play we are going to write or rather I am writing and he is directing and An announcement has been made in the local press that I am doing a super horror story with Merian Cooper but the truth is it is much more his story than mine I shall get much more credit out of the picture than I deserve if it is a success but I shall be blamed by the public if it is a failure which seems fair 188 Wallace died of pneumonia complicated by diabetes on February 10 1932 and Cooper later had James Creelman and finally Ruth Rose finish the screenplay Cooper would later state Actually Edgar Wallace didn t write any of Kong not one bloody word I d promised him credit and so I gave it to him 189 Cooper issued a reprint of the novelization in 1965 that was published by Bantam Books Some time later the copyright expired and the publishing rights to the book fell into the public domain Since then a myriad of publishers have reprinted the novelization numerous times 190 In 1983 Judith Conaway wrote a juvenile adaptation of the novelization called King Kong Step Up Adventures that featured illustrations by Mike Berenstain and was published by Random House books while Anthony Browne wrote and illustrated another juvenile adaptation called Anthony Browne s King Kong in 1994 Credited as From the Story Conceived by Edgar Wallace amp Merian C Cooper the book was published by the Turner Publishing Company It was re released as a paperback in the U K in 2005 by Picture Corgi Blackstone Audio produced an audio recording of the book in 2005 narrated by Stefan Rudnicki while StarWarp Concepts released an Ebook version complete with 6 new illustrations from pulp comic artist Paul Tuma in 2017 191 Outside of the novelization the film was serialized in a pulp magazine In 1933 Mystery magazine published a King Kong serial under the byline of Edgar Wallace 192 and written by Walter F Ripperger 193 This serialization was published in two parts in the February and March issues of the magazine In the U K the film was serialized in two different pulps both on October 28 1933 in the juvenile Boys Magazine Vol 23 No 608 194 where the serialization was uncredited and in that month s issue of Cinema Weekly where it was credited to Edgar Wallace and written by Draycott Montagu Dell 1888 1940 This short story adaptation would later appear in the Peter Haining book called Movie Monsters in 1988 published by Severn House in the U K The novel was serialized in the London Daily Herald by H Kingsley Long as well The serialization was first published in April 1933 and ran 37 installments In 1973 Philip Jose Farmer wrote a short story sequel to the Lovelace novelization called After King Kong Fell that was published in OMEGA a collection of original science fiction stories 195 In 1977 a novelization of the 1976 remake of King Kong was published by Ace Books This novelization was called The Dino De Laurentiis Production of King Kong and was simply the 1976 Lorenzo Semple Jr script published in book form The cover was done by Frank Frazetta To coincide with the 2005 remake of King Kong various books were released to tie into the film A novelization was written by Christopher Golden based on the screenplay by Fran Walsh Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson Matt Costello wrote an official prequel to the film called King Kong The Island of the Skull These books were published by Pocket Books Various illustrated juvenile books were published as well by Harper Books Kong s Kingdom was written by Julia Simon Kerr Meet Kong and Ann and Journey to Skull Island were written by Jennifer Franz Escape from Skull Island and Kong The Eighth Wonder of the World Junior Novel were written by Laura J Burns The Search for Kong was written by Catherine Hapka and finally a Deluxe Sound Storybook of Kong The Eighth Wonder of the World was written by Don Curry Weta Workshop released a collection of concept art from the film entitled The World of Kong A Natural History of Skull Island that was published by Pocket Books The book was written and designed to resemble and read like an actual nature guide and historical record In 2005 Ibooks Inc published an unofficial book featuring King Kong called Kong Reborn by Russell Blackford Starting in 1996 artist writer Joe DeVito began working with the Merian C Cooper estate to write and or illustrate various books based on the King Kong character The first of these was an origin story labeled as an authorized sequel prequel to the 1932 novelization of King Kong called Kong King of Skull Island This illustrated hardcover novel was published in 2004 by DH Press and featured a story DeVito co wrote with Brad Strickland and John Michlig It also included an introduction by Ray Harryhausen A large paperback edition was then released in 2005 with extra pages at the end of the book A CD audiobook narrated by Joey D Auria was released by RadioArchives as well and an interactive two part app was released in 2011 and 2013 respectively by Copyright 1957 LLC In 2005 DeVito and Strickland co wrote another book together called Merian C Cooper s King Kong for the Merian C Cooper estate This book was published by St Martin s Press It was a full rewrite of the original 1932 novelization which updates the language and paleontology and adds five new chapters Some additional elements and characters tie into Kong King of Skull Island enabling the two separate books to form a continuous storyline In 2013 the first of two books featuring crossovers with pulp heroes was published To coincide with the 80th anniversary of both King Kong and Doc Savage Altus Press published Doc Savage Skull Island in both softcover and hardcover editions This officially sanctioned book was written by Will Murray and based on concepts by DeVito 196 In 2016 Altus Press published the other crossover book this time featuring a meeting between King Kong and Tarzan The novel called King Kong vs Tarzan was once again written by Will Murray and featured artwork by DeVito 197 In 2017 a new book featuring another origin story written and illustrated by DeVito was released called King Kong of Skull Island 198 Expanded versions of the book titled King Kong Skull Island Exodus and King Kong Skull Island The Wall were released by Markosia in 2020 199 In March 2017 to coincide with the release of Kong Skull Island Titan Books released a novelization of the film written by Tim Lebbon and a hardcover book The Art and Making of Kong Skull Island by Simon Ward 200 In 2021 to coincide with the release of Godzilla vs Kong various tie in books were released On March 30 Legendary Comics released a graphic prequel novel called Kingdom Kong written by Marie Anello 201 as well as a children s picture book called Kong and Me written by Kiki Thorpe and illustrated by Nidhi Chanani 202 On April 6 Titan Books released Godzilla vs Kong The Official Movie Novelization written by Greg Keyes 203 Insight Editions released a children s board book called Godzilla vs Kong Sometimes Friends Fight But They Always Make Up written by Carol Herring 204 and on May 21 also released Godzilla vs Kong One Will Fall The Art of the Ultimate Battle Royale written by Daniel Wallace 205 Theme park rides edit nbsp Skull Island Reign of Kong at Universal s Islands of Adventure Universal Studios has had popular King Kong attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City California and Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando Florida The first King Kong attraction was called King Kong Encounter and was a part of the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood Based upon the 1976 film King Kong the tour took the guests in the world of 1976 New York City where Kong was seen wreaking havoc on the city It was opened on June 14 1986 and was destroyed on June 1 2008 in a major fire Universal opened a replacement 3D King Kong ride called King Kong 360 3 D that opened on July 1 2010 based upon Peter Jackson s 2005 film King Kong 206 207 A second more elaborate ride was constructed at Universal Studios Florida on June 7 1990 called Kongfrontation The ride featured a stand alone extended version of King Kong Encounter and pinned guests escaping on the Roosevelt Island Tramway from Kong who was rampaging across New York City The ride was closed down on September 8 2002 and was replaced with Revenge of the Mummy on May 21 2004 A new King Kong attraction titled Skull Island Reign of Kong opened at Islands of Adventure on July 13 2016 208 making it the first King Kong themed ride in Orlando since Kongfrontation closed down 14 years earlier at Universal Studios Florida A Kong ride made by HUSS Park Attractions also appeared in Changzhou China Dinosaur Park and was opened in 2010 In this ride Kong will pick up the wagon lower it down and tilt it all kinds of directions 209 Musical edit Further information King Kong 2013 musical A musical adaptation of the story endorsed by Merian C Cooper s estate 210 was staged in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre The show premiered on June 15 2013 as King Kong The Eighth Wonder of The World with music by Marius De Vries The musical then premiered on Broadway on November 8 2018 at the Broadway Theatre as King Kong Alive on Broadway The creative team included book writer Jack Thorne director choreographer Drew McOnie and Australian songwriter Eddie Perfect who replace the former creatives 211 The huge King Kong puppet was created by Global Creature Technology 212 The puppet stands 20 feet tall and weighs 2 400 pounds It is operated by a large rig with 10 onstage puppeteers 213 and features an array of microprocessors and tiny motors that power nuanced movements in the facial features 214 According to Sonny Tilders who designed the Fiberglas and steel puppet for Global Creatures Company It s the most sophisticated marionette puppet ever made Tilders also stated that Kong is built in layers and is quite similar to genuine anatomy Over the steel skeleton the body shell is a mixture of hard Fiberglas enforced inflatables high pressure inflatables and bags full of styrene beans that stretch and contort like muscles Tilders said that they wanted to create the sense that Kong is a moving sculpture 215 Other appearances edit King Kong had three cameos in Warner Bros films In the 2017 film The Lego Batman Movie King Kong voiced by Seth Green appears as an inmate of the Phantom Zone 216 He is among the Phantom Zone inmates that the Joker releases in order to take over Gotham City During the Joker s campaign King Kong destroys one of the towers that Batman and the others hide in With help from Robin Batgirl Alfred Pennyworth and his enemies Batman is able to defeat King Kong and send him and his fellow Phantom Zone inmates back to the Phantom Zone In the 2018 film Ready Player One based on the book of the same name King Kong appears as one of the hazards of the OASIS racetrack 217 In the 2021 film Space Jam A New Legacy King Kong makes a cameo as one of the many spectators to a basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Goon Squad 218 Other references edit King Kong in name only was referenced by Ian Malcolm as a sarcastic remark toward the gates of Jurassic Park in the titular 1993 film A frame of King Kong in the 1933 film can be seen for a split second during the 2008 monster film Cloverfield 219 Both King Kong and Skull Island were referenced and made multiple appearances in the 2019 film Godzilla King of the Monsters See also editKaiju Tokusatsu Godzilla MonsterVerse Universal City Studios Inc v Nintendo Co Ltd King Kong in the name edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp A publicity still of Isamu Yamaguchi playing King Kong on stage from Wasei Kingu Kongu There were other unofficial movies to have borne the King Kong name A lost silent Japanese short Japanese King Kong 和製キングコング Wasei Kingu Kongu directed by Torajiro Saito featuring an all Japanese cast and produced by the Shochiku company was released in 1933 The plot revolves around a down on his luck man who plays the King Kong character in a vaudeville theater to earn money to woo a girl he likes The film does not actually involve King Kong per se King Kong Appears in Edo 江戸に現れたキングコング Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu A lost two part silent Japanese period piece that was produced by a company called Zensho Kinema in 1938 The film revolves around kidnapping and revenge amongst the characters The King Kong in this film is a trained ape that looks more like a Yeti who is used to kidnap one of the characters Judging by the plot synopsis presented by periodicals at the time the King Kong is regular sized and is only depicted as gigantic on the advertisements for promotional purposes 220 The 1959 Hong Kong film King Kong s Adventures in the Heavenly Palace 猩猩王大鬧天宮 which featured a normal sized gorilla 221 The Hindi films King Kong 1962 and Tarzan and King Kong 1965 which featured the professional wrestler King Kong and has nothing to do with the famous movie monster although the latter film featured a normal sized gorilla The 1968 Italian film Kong Island Eva la Venere selvaggia lit Eve the wild Venus which was advertised in the U S as King of Kong Island Despite the American title the film featured normal sized gorillas and takes place in Africa The 1981 Mexican film Las Munecas Del King Kong The Dolls of King Kong which featured exotic jungle girls The King Kong in the film was simply a giant ape statue on top of a building Related films edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The premise of a giant gorilla brought to the United States for entertainment purposes and subsequently wreaking havoc was recycled in Mighty Joe Young 1949 through the same studio and with much of the same principal talent as the 1933 original It was remade in 1998 King Kong bears some similarities with an earlier effort by special effects head Willis H O Brien The Lost World 1925 in which dinosaurs are found living on an isolated plateau It was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle s novel of the same name Banglar King Kong an unofficial Bangladeshi musical based on the King Kong story and directed by Iftekar Jahan The film uses large amounts of stock footage from the films King Kong and Mighty Joe Young as well as National Geographic documentaries and premiered in June 2010 in the Purnima Cinema Hall in Dhaka 222 Other similar giant ape films include The 1949 American comedy film Africa Screams where a giant ape briefly appears The 1961 British film Konga where a chimpanzee is enlarged after being fed a growth serum by a deranged scientist and attacks London The 1969 American film The Mighty Gorga which features a circus owner s quest to capture a giant gorilla in an African jungle Unlike King Kong Gorga remains in Africa The 1976 Korean 3D film Ape 223 where a giant ape runs amok in Seoul South Korea The 1976 British film Queen Kong a film that parodies King Kong with a gender reversal between the giant ape and the object of the ape s affection The 1977 Hong Kong film The Mighty Peking Man featuring a huge Bigfoot ape like creature that attacks Hong Kong after it was brought to Hong Kong from its territory somewhere in India near the Himalayas The 1977 Italian film Yeti Giant of the 20th Century featuring a giant abominable snowman running amok in Ontario after a millionaire industrialist thaws it out of a block of ice The 2005 The Asylum film King of the Lost World is a mockbuster of Jackson s King Kong loosely based on the aforementioned The Lost World The 2018 American film Rampage featuring a giant albino western lowland gorilla named George The film is based on the 1986 arcade game Rampage which itself is a video game parody of giant monster films Notes edit Ownership over the RKO Radio Pictures produced 1933 films King Kong and Son of Kong were passed on to Warner Bros via Turner Entertainment Co 2 Warner Bros also owns Kong Skull Island 2017 Godzilla vs Kong 2021 and Godzilla x Kong The New Empire 2024 Universal owns the 2005 remake King Kong Kong related theme park attractions and the copyright to the American versions of King Kong vs Godzilla and King Kong Escapes Toho Co Ltd retains exclusive distribution in the Far East for the Japanese versions of King Kong vs Godzilla and King Kong Escapes 3 4 Ownership over the 1976 remake King Kong and its 1986 sequel King Kong Lives were inherited by StudioCanal after they absorbed De Laurentiis Entertainment Group Paramount Pictures retains domestic distribution of the 1976 remake 5 See King Kong vs Godzilla Box office See King Kong Escapes Box office See King Kong Lives Box officeReferences edit Morton 2005 p 5 Turner Broadcasting System Inc DEFM14A Securities and Exchange Commission September 17 1996 Retrieved May 10 2010 Katz Brandon September 5 2019 WarnerMedia Can Compete With Disney Here s How Observer Retrieved April 13 2023 Masters Kim September 16 2015 Hollywood Gorilla Warfare It s Universal vs Legendary Over Kong Skull Island and Who Says Thank You The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on August 11 2023 Retrieved August 10 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