To revive Kong on the 10th anniversary of his fall, the attendant doctor (Hamilton) states that he needs both a heart transplant and a blood transfusion. That delay plays into the plot, as the film reveals that Kong survived his plunge off the Empire State Building and has since been in a coma. Clearly ignoring the adage "strike while the iron is hot," de Laurentiis waited an entire decade before making the sequel. Producer Dino de Laurentiis’ 1976 King Kong may have received a mixed reception from critics, but it proved to be a hit with audiences.
But the hint of talent is actually what drives home its utter worthlessness - there’s simply no reason for this movie to be so bad. It might seem unfair placing 1986’s King Kong Lives at the bottom of this list, considering that - unlike several other great ape movies - it has a decent-sized budget, slick production values, and Linda Hamilton. Here, then, is Every Giant Ape Movie, Ranked. Then there are the following 16 theatrical releases, all of which were either officially licensed Kong productions or imitators hoping to snag a share of the box office pie.
There have been animated television series, straight-to-video features, and even movies starring a professional wrestler named King Kong. From a pair of long-lost Japanese films from the 1930s to a Bangladeshi musical in 2010, numerous filmmakers have sought to usurp the King’s throne through (usually) unauthorized versions. Since King Kong first appeared in 1933, there’s been no small measure of great ape movies seeking to either honor or pillage his legacy. Yet a constant presence on the pop-culture scene is expected with a figure as iconic as this one. After all, a more diminutive - and blockier - version of the character made a cameo appearance in The Lego Batman Movie. The new release Kong: Skull Island isn’t the first time in 2017 that movie audiences will see King Kong thundering across the screen.