During the press tour for GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE, director Adam Wingard explained the titular relationship using the "buddy-cop" film genre as a reference:

“The buddy-cop dysfunctional relationship dynamic is probably the best one to describe Godzilla and Kong,” says Wingard, noting Lethal Weapon as one of his favourites in the genre.

Will the critics for our most esteemed publications agree that GODZILLA X KONG is a new entry in the buddy-cop genre? And more relevant for this market, will they draw this comparison themselves? (Whether or not they agree that it fits).

What counts as a reference:

• The words "buddy-cop", in any context/form.

• Explicit reference to any movies included on: the "Buddy cop" Wikipedia page (excluding GODZILLA X KONG itself, if it is added before then), OR Men's Health's "The 25 Best Buddy Cop Movies of All Time" ranking. This includes (but is not limited to):

  • Lethal Weapon

  • In the Heat of the Night

  • The Nice Guys

  • Rush Hour 2

  • Men in Black

  • Stray Dog

  • 48 Hours

  • and many more

If any of the (up to) three reviews meets either criteria, this market resolves YES.

Which reviews:

• I will use the first review logged on Rotten Tomatoes for each publication as the only reviews in consideration.

• I will allow up to two weeks after release (i.e. April 12th) for them to publish their review, and resolve based on the reviews available at that point (& I can resolve early if all three publish their reviews before then).

• For reference, here are the first reviews of GODZILLA VS KONG by each outlet on RT:

  • New York Times

  • New Yorker

  • RogerEbert.com

I may trade on this market. If any scenarios for resolution are unclear, please ask. If there is any dispute regarding resolution, I will happily cede this to a mod on Discord to settle the case.

For more GODZILLA X KONG markets, check out my MEGA-DASHBOARD