The biggest trend in major cinematic narratives these days is of course, the shared universe concept. Disney/Marvel proves the value of such connectivity between movies with every new release. That amazing and sustained success has led to every other studio wanting their own Marvel-style interconnected universe. However, recent attempts – such as the Dark Universe, which sputtered out after one movie (The Mummy) in 2017 – have shown that to be a little more difficult than simply designating a series of movies as being part of a single universe. 

But by taking their time, not getting ahead of themselves, and putting a proper amount of effort into each individual release, Warner Bros. has done a pretty decent job of building up their MonsterVerse. It started with 2014's Godzilla, then asserted its shared universe status with the 2017 prequel Kong: Skull Island, and now continues with Godzilla: King of the Monsters. A fourth film, Godzilla V. Kong, has already been shot. 

The initial success of the MonsterVerse was dealt something of a blow over the weekend when Godzilla: KOTM opened to slightly smaller numbers than tracking had promised, which suggests diminished enthusiasm for the film as the weekend progressed. It still earned around $49 million, no small amount of money, but disappointing next to Skull Island's opening take ($61 million), and especially next to the previous Godzilla movie's haul ($93 million). 

Critical reviews were somewhat mixed, but the general consensus was that while the monster mayhem was great, the human storylines left something to be desired. This speaks volumes about the need to nail your narrative, even if the reason for your movie’s existence in the first place is to see giant monsters fight each other. Story. Always. Matters. 

Godzilla: KOTM saw its prospects dimmed by the success of two other new releases, each of which represent narratively significant trends.

Rocketman, the fantastical musical biopic of Elton John, is the first film of its kind to be released since the phenomenon that was Bohemian Rhapsody. Although Rhapsody earned a mint at the box office and garnered an Academy Award® for lead Rami Malek, there was a critical consensus that the film could've been a little better, and a little gayer. 

Enter Rocketman, which is somewhat more embracing of its subject's homosexuality. Like Rhapsody, it fudges a lot of facts and chronologies, but unlike its predecessor, presents itself as more of a fantasy recollection, so it’s less beholden to reality. The film earned $25 million over the weekend, garnering third place behind Aladdin, which continued to rake it in in its second weekend in theaters, adding another $42 million to its haul. 

Behind Rocketman on the charts is Ma, the first in a potential new horror franchise starring Octavia Spencer as a disturbed woman who invites teenagers to party at her house. The film earned a solid $18 million in its opening weekend, and many are praising the film's wide appeal as a step forward for representation in horror cinema. 

The hand-wringing over the wide release of Booksmart continues, with many media pundits over the last week saying the film should've started in a limited number of theaters, then expanded with the word-of-mouth. 

The film earned $3.3 million in its second weekend in 2500+ theaters, and while it's possibly the best reviewed movie of the year, many are blaming the release strategy for sinking the film. Others are saying that the film shouldn't have to represent all the future prospects for female-led movies. Whatever the case, it seems more people are talking about the movie than actually seeing it.