‘Godzilla Minus One’ Moves to Wide Release After Critical, Commercial Success

Godzilla has smashed his way into a limited number of theaters in the U.S. in such a way that all other theaters are now bowing before him. The Japanese monster of old is returning to his roots and, in doing so, has created one of the best movies of the year. So where can you spot him then?

Godzilla is one of Japan’s biggest characters, literally and figuratively. Created as a metaphor for nuclear war and the dangers of nuclear weapons, the character was born out of the fear that something like the horrors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima may happen again. Since then, the character has adapted and evolved and so has its setting, constantly destroying and attacking modern-day civilization. Godzilla Minus One, however, takes the character back to World War 2, where it all started.

As Japan grapples with the end of WWII, its actions in the war, and its defeat at the hands of the Americans and atomic bombs, a new threat emerges. Godzilla, an already terrifying monster, has been mutated by the fallout from the atomic explosions and is making his way to Japan.

The film, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, has been hailed as a masterpiece within the genre, blending incredible action scenes with character-driven storytelling and heartfelt emotions. The film has a 98 percent approval rating both on Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score and the Tomatometer, a rare feat indeed. The Guardian wrote of the film,

[Godzilla Minus One] works because it puts the trauma of history at the very centre of the story, ultimately crafting a story about human beings pulling together to heal and defeat an inexplicable force of destruction.

Time Out’s review of the film praised Yamazaki specifically. “Heartfelt and often awe-inspiring, Japanese VFX wizard Takashi Yamazaki delivers the best kaiju movie in decades,” it started, ending with, “Here’s proof that an action movie can have an effects-heavy climax that doesn’t feel boringly generic. Hollywood, take note.”

The film landed in the States on December 1 (having premiered in Japan on October 18) and since then has done phenomenally at the box office, pulling in figures much higher than originally estimated. In the last three weeks it has been available in North America, it has made $34.2 million, which alone more than covers the very minimal film budget of $15 million. Globally, the film has made $64 million so far.

With such a phenomenal performance and with critics praising the movie, word of mouth has meant that more people are showing up to see the giant kaiju, and that demand has now led to a wide release. As of last Friday, December 15, an additional 2,600 theaters have now started screening the film, which gave it a boost of roughly $7 million over the weekend.

Godzilla Minus One can now be watched in theaters across the States, with Fandango sharing the news on X that fans will now be able to watch it in more theaters across the country.

It is not yet known when Godzilla Minus One will be coming to streaming, though Amazon Prime Video in Japan has indicated that it will eventually be available to buy or rent. Based on other Japan releases in the past, this could take some time, though with the monster success of Toho’s latest release, the demand for home viewing could push it up a little.

(featured image: Toho)