Produced in 1976, Dexter Films’ Queen Kong was an affectionate, gender swapped pastiche of RKO’s iconic King Kong (1933). This novelisation from Everest books was timed to coincide with the film’s release - however, Queen Kong would not be seen in British cinemas. Lawsuits from RKO and Dino De Laurentiis - whose own officially licensed remake of King Kong was due for release that December and had cost $20 million to make (compared to a budget of $632,000 for Queen Kong) - meant the film was withdrawn from theatrical distribution in it’s home territory. It saw a limited release in some European countries, and became an unlikely cult success in Japan.
