VOA慢速英语2021--《哥斯拉大战金刚》强势上映给电影人带来希望

Moviemakers are hoping that watching a city getting destroyed will be popular at movie theaters.

That seems to be the case for Godzilla vs. Kong, a movie about a battle between the two huge monsters. It is one of the few blockbusters to be released while COVID-19-related restrictions¹ are still in effect.

Godzilla vs. Kong opened last week with $9.6 million in ticket sales. That is a one-day record during the pandemic. Before its U.S. opening, the film made $123.1 million internationally in late March.

Joshua Grode is the head of Legendary² Entertainment, which produced Godzilla vs. Kong. He thinks the early success of the movie shows that people still want to go to the theater to see movies.

"This tells everybody: the moviegoing business is here, and, yes, it may be different post-pandemic," he said. "But there is a viable³ industry there."

For the first time since last winter, a big Hollywood movie release is showing in more than 3,000 theaters. However, that is still about 1,200 fewer than normal for a movie like Godzilla vs. Kong.

There are still problems to face as movies return to more theaters. People remain concerned about sitting in a closed room with many other moviegoers. It also is very easy to watch a movie from home. Many films in the past year have been released through streaming services like HBO Max, Netflix or Disney+. For example, in addition to being shown in theaters, Godzilla vs. Kong is available for streaming in North America on HBO Max.

Ticket sales are slowly starting to rise but remain below normal. The top earning release of 2021 was Tom & Jerry, with $13.7 million in sales in February. Wonder Woman 1984 had the biggest launch during the pandemic, with $16.7 million in December. Both of these movies were also released on streaming services.

Rich Gelfond is the head of IMAX, a specialized⁴ theater company. He said the success of Godzilla vs. Kong might persuade film companies to release more new movies.

Movie companies are concerned about releasing costly⁵ films while restrictions on public gatherings⁶ remain in place. While movie going in much of Asia has recovered, increases in COVID-19 cases in Europe and other countries have made a worldwide release impossible. Godzilla vs. Kong cost about $160 million to make.

People in the movie industry hope the performance of Godzilla vs. Kong is a sign that things are improving.

"In years from now, when people write about coming back to the movies," Grode said, "I'm very proud that Godzilla vs. Kong will be in that history."

Words in This Story

monster –n. a strange or horrible imaginary creature

blockbuster- n. something (especially a movie) that is very large, expensive, or successful

ticket –n. a piece of paper that lets the owner see a show, movie or event

viable- adj. -capable of being done; capable of succeeding

convince- v. to cause (someone) to believe that something is true

streaming –n. playing continuously as data sent to a computer over the internet

proud- adj. very happy and pleased because of something you have done, something you own, someone you know or are related to, etc. : feeling pride

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

3 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

4 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。