Godzilla Minus One (Japanese: ゴジラ-1.0マイナスワン, Hepburn: Gojira Mainasu Wan) is a 2023 Japanese kaiju film directed, written, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. Produced by Toho Studios and Robot Communications and distributed by Toho, it is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise, Toho's 33rd Godzilla film, and the fifth film in the franchise's Reiwa era. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki. In the film, postwar Japan deals with the emergence of Godzilla. After the release of his film The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Yamazaki was selected to make a Godzilla film. He subsequently wrote the script over the course of three years, taking influence from the original 1954 Godzilla film and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001), Jaws (1975), and the films of Hayao Miyazaki. Yamazaki had previously depicted Godzilla in Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) and a 2021 amusement-park ride at Seibu-en. In February 2022, Robot publicized that Yamazaki was soon to begin directing a kaiju film via a casting call on their website. Filming occurred primarily in Kantō and Chūbu from March to June 2022. Shirogumi handled the visual effects at their studio in Chōfu from April 2022 to May 2023. The film premiered at the Shinjuku Toho Building on October 18, 2023, and was released in Japan on November 3, to celebrate the franchise's 70th anniversary. Toho's subsidiary Toho International later released it in North America on December 1. The film has grossed over $105 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing Japanese films of all time, and surpassing Shin Godzilla as the most successful Japanese Godzilla film. It received critical acclaim for its visual effects, direction, story, characters, and social commentary, and was compared favorably to recent Hollywood films. It has also received numerous accolades, including a leading 12 nominations at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize (winning eight), three nominations at the 17th Asian Film Awards (winning two), and winning Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards; making it the first Godzilla film to receive an Academy Award nomination and the first Japanese film to be nominated in that category. A black-and-white version premiered in Japan on January 12, 2024, and was distributed in the United States by Toho International on January 26.
The U.S. refuses help, owing to tensions with the Soviet Union, but General Douglas MacArthur sends decommissioned Imperial Japanese Navy vessels. In May 1947, Shikishima and his minesweeper crew are tasked with stopping Godzilla's approach to Japan, in reality stalling for time for larger vessels to arrive. They release a mine into Godzilla's mouth and detonate it, doing significant damage, but it quickly regenerates. The heavy cruiser Takao then arrives and engages Godzilla but is subsequently destroyed when Godzilla unleashes its atomic "heat ray". After returning to Tokyo, Shikishima tells Noriko about the attack and his earlier encounter with Godzilla. Days later, Godzilla makes landfall in Japan, attacking Ginza, where Noriko works. Noriko narrowly avoids dying and is found by Shikishima. Type 4 Chi-To medium tanks engage Godzilla, but it fires its heat ray, which causes a nuclear explosion that obliterates Ginza, killing tens of thousands. Noriko pushes Shikishima into an alley but is caught in the blast herself and presumed dead. Devastated by the loss of Noriko, Shikishima vows revenge against Godzilla. Godzilla departs but is expected to return; the government refuses to do more to prevent another attack. One of the minesweeper's crew, former Naval engineer Kenji Noda, plans to destroy Godzilla by surrounding it with Freon tanks and rupturing them, lowering the water's buoyancy and sinking it to a depth of 1,500 meters, letting the resultant pressure crush it. Should that plan fail, balloons will be inflated under Godzilla to force it back up to the surface, killing it through explosive decompression. He has recruited private citizens, primarily former Naval members, to enact his plan. Shikishima recruits Tachibana, the mechanic he fought alongside, to repair a broken-down Kyushu J7W Shinden fighter. Shikishima plans to fly into Godzilla's mouth, then detonate an explosive charge inside the plane in an attempt to destroy the monster from the inside. He tells Noda and the others that he will only be luring Godzilla into Noda's trap. Godzilla resurfaces, and Shikishima draws it into the trap. After Godzilla is tricked into destroying two unmanned destroyers with its heat ray, the two remaining ships get close and wrap it in the buoys. Godzilla is then successfully dragged down to 1,500 meters but survives. The balloons are activated, forcing Godzilla up to 800 meters, but it survives and manages to break free. Two ships try to haul Godzilla to the surface but fail. A fleet of tugboats lend their assistance, and Godzilla is brought to the surface. Still alive and enraged, Godzilla prepares to destroy all the ships with its heat ray. Shikishima flies the explosive plane into Godzilla's mouth and remembers Tachibana imploring him to use the ejection seat, to let go of his survivor's guilt and choose to live. The plane explodes, destroying Godzilla's head and causing the energy of its heat ray to tear its body apart. The crew celebrates as Shikishima parachutes down, having chosen to live. Shikishima receives a telegram and heads to the hospital with Akiko. They are reunited with Noriko, who survived the destruction but has a black mark creeping up her neck. Meanwhile, a chunk of Godzilla's flesh sinks into the ocean and begins to regenerate. Cast
Production Crew
Development After the release of Toho's 2016 reboot Shin Godzilla, co-director Shinji Higuchi stated at the American fan convention G-Fest that Toho would not be able to produce another Godzilla film until after 2020; this was due to their contract with Legendary Pictures, who were producing their own Godzilla films, that forbade Toho from releasing their potential Godzilla films in the same year as Legendary's films. In 2018, Toho executive Keiji Ota revealed that Shin Godzilla would not receive a sequel and expressed interest in a potential shared universe Godzilla series akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2019, following the release of his film The Great War of Archimedes, renowned filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki was appointed to make a Godzilla film. He began preparing the project and initially spent one year developing the script. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the crew to postpone filming for a few years, leading to the script being rewritten several times over the course of three years. Godzilla Minus One is Yamazaki's third time working on a production utilizing Godzilla. His first is Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) which features the monster in a dream-like opening. During preproduction on Minus One, he also directed and created the effects for Seibu-en Amusement Park's motion simulator attraction Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle (2021). On February 18, 2022, Robot Communications announced the film, with the working title Blockbuster Monster Movie (超大作怪獣映画, Chōtaisaku Kaijū Eiga), via a casting call on their official website. Robot stated Yamazaki would direct and that the film would be presented by Toho. The next day, HuffPost writer Kenji Ando mentioned the conjecture from fans on social media whether the film would be a remake of the 1954 film. Ando also noted that it is a period piece set in postwar Japan between 1945 and 1947, citing Yamazaki's comments from an interview regarding his depiction of Godzilla in Always: Sunset on Third Street 2: "You can't have Godzilla unless it's the Shōwa era." Toho declared that Yamazaki's unnamed kaiju project is a Godzilla film on November 3, 2022, at an event celebrating the franchise's 68th anniversary known as "Godzilla Day". The company also revealed that the film had completed filming and had entered post-production with a targeted release date of November 3, 2023. Yamazaki was named the film's writer and visual effects supervisor. During a press conference on December 13, 2022, Toho's head of planning Hisashi Usui implied that the new film is connected to the 1954 film. Following the announcement, Yamazaki regaled his pitch and vision for the film: "Postwar Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if "fear" itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair. I think this is the culmination of all the films I have made to date, and one that deserves to be "experienced" rather than "watched" in the theater. I hope you will experience the most terrifying Godzilla in the best possible environment." Writing Yamazaki said that the worldwide anxiety and government unreliability during the pandemic was one of his major inspirations for the story and that he hopes these events are reflected clearly. Yamazaki later revealed that he was heavily influenced by Shusuke Kaneko's Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)—which he has cited as his favorite Godzilla film—while writing the screenplay for Godzilla Minus One. At its screening, he reflected in a discussion with Kaneko: "I had forgotten the contents of GMK for a while, but it seems like I self-consciously thought about it when writing the scenario for -1.0. Without realizing it, I was under considerable influence". Yamazaki has stated that Godzilla Minus One was inspired by the original 1954 Godzilla film, Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975), and the films of Hayao Miyazaki. Godzilla (2014) director Gareth Edwards identified Spielberg's films Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Jurassic Park (1993), and Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017) as other evident influences on the film. Regarding writing the film's ending, Yamazaki felt that "It's more cinematic if it doesn't end neatly and properly" and remarked, "It's not just so a sequel can be made, it's also so the characters are kept alive in the hearts of the audience." A novelization of the film written by Yamazaki was published in Japan by Shueisha on November 8, 2023. Design The design of Godzilla in Minus One is a variation of the one in Godzilla the Ride. Inspired by the Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack design, Yamazaki initially envisioned his design having "half-moon shaped eyes", but modeling head Kosuke Taguchi gave it "almond-shaped" ones instead, with the final design having "golden, almond-shaped eyes". Yamazaki also elaborate that since the crew created this Godzilla in digital form: "it allowed for much more detail than what was possible with any type of handcrafted version. So we were able to increase the resolution of the scales, for example, and make them feel really, really sharp and give it this aggressive texture. And in terms of the bottom half of Godzilla, we made it feel very heavy and dense in a way that made the viewer feel like this mountain and triangular silhouette was walking and moving through a space So imagine the [Imperial] Star Destroyer from Star Wars." Yamazaki attempted to make this Godzilla the most horrifying version yet. The crew designed Godzilla to be ferocious, violent, and dynamic, with a static, god-like aspect. Its dorsal fins were made more "spiky and ferocious" than the incarnation in Godzilla the Ride, as if its regenerative energy had become disorderly. Yamazaki stated that the team also tried to make Godzilla the "deadliest in history" adding that it is "discerning today, experiencing the freshness and fear felt by audiences at the time". Casting During preproduction, producer Minami Ichikawa offered Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe to play the film's leads, Kōichi Shikishima and Noriko Ōishi, prior to them playing similar roles in the NHK drama series Ranman (2023). According to Yamazaki, the media criticized this casting, believing it would be too similar to their roles in Ranman, when announced the two would star in the film at a press conference on September 4, 2023. Yamazaki also revealed that he cast Kuranosuke Sasaki as Captain Yōji Akitsu because of his performances in Asadora such as Hiyokko (2017), which had a major influence on him. Yamazaki sought to cast talented individuals who were able to give convincing performances of people living during the Shōwa period and could making Godzilla's presence in the film seem more realistic. His casting decisions were influenced little by the previous Godzilla films, since this movie was about the lives of ordinary Japanese in the 1940s rather than politicians, bureaucrats, scientists, and the Self-Defense Forces. The reason for this was that Yamazaki wanted audiences to empathize with and connect with the characters despite the post-war setting. Ōishi and Shikishima's adopted daughter Akiko was originally planned to be a boy. After meeting two-year-old child actress Sae Nagatani, however, Yamazaki decided to change this in order for her to play the role. When questioned how he managed to get Nagatani to cry for some scenes, the director responded "I found a genius". Filming Principal photography took place on location in the Kantō and Chūbu (in the Aichi and Nagano prefectures) regions of Honshu, starting on March 17, 2022, and wrapping circa June 11. According to Robot's website, the film would be set between 1945 and 1947, so there would be restrictions on the extras' costume sizes, hairstyles (declaring that long-haired men must have perms), and hair colors (declaring that hair dyeing would not be allowed). The film's maritime sequences were filmed at Lake Hamana and in the Enshū Sea. Between April and June 2022, several community businesses near the Tenryū River helped the crew modify and maintain boats to shoot navy scenes in Enshū. Another shooting location was Okaya, Nagano. During production, scenes featuring the Kyushu J7W Shinden were partly realised through the construction of a 1:1 scale replica of the aircraft, of which only a single example exists and is located outside Japan in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.. Following the completion of shooting, the replica was transported to and put on display at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in Chikuzen, Fukuoka in July 2022. Toho donated the replica under anonymity, only revealing their involvement in the construction of the model after Minus One released. Visual effects All 610 of the film's visual effect shots were handled by a crew of 35 artists at Shirogumi's Chōfu studio, under the supervision of Yamazaki and direction of Kiyoko Shibuya. The team began creating the effects for Godzilla Minus One around April 2022, per the TV Shinshu special about Yamazaki that was released the following year. Shirogumi revealed by opening a recruitment call for visual effects designers and compositors in August 2022, that post-production had begun and visual effects were taking place from that same month until January 2023; they later changed the dates to between November 2022 and February 2023. Their website named the 3D animation software Houdini and Maya for design and Nuke for compositing. Post-production concluded in late May 2023, after the visual effects were finished. The team strived creating the ocean sequences for the film, especially Godzilla's destruction scene. Yamazaki reflected that "It put a huge strain on all of our rendering engines, so we created so much data in the process that when we added it all up it was easily over a petabyte. In the end, we erased the data from the scene where it was done, and made it while opening the hard disk." Yamazaki admitted to Shinji Higuchi, co-director and effects director of Shin Godzilla, that the film's destruction sequences and on-screen deaths were inspired by the Shibuya sequence in Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris; Higuchi had also directed that film's effects. Some of the characters present on-screen during Godzilla's rampage were created using Houdini; around 60 extras were 3D scanned to be replaced by a digital duplicate. Music and sound effects Yamazaki's frequent collaborator Naoki Satō scored the film. Rambling Records released Godzilla Minus One Original Soundtrack, on CD in Japan on October 28, 2023, with a limited edition vinyl following on November 24. On January 19, 2024, Toho announced that Waxwork Records is set to release the score on vinyl, with pre-ordering starting that same day. When composing the score, Satō took inspiration from Studio Ghibli's anime movies for the poignant scenes and the music of Akira Ifukube to accentuate the kaiju sequences. Stock tracks composed by Ifukube for Godzilla (1954), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) were also used for some scenes. Natsuko Inoue handled the sound effects. She felt it was her mission to recreate the original Godzilla's roar using a modern sound system. Having tried many methods to keep the sound intact, Inoue decided that it wasn't strong enough, so she opted to record outdoors and use the echoes to enhance it. She decided to play the roar at the ZOZO Marine Stadium to create the fresh sound effect she desired, believing it was the only stadium that could meet the requirements they needed as it had huge speakers, no ceiling, was spacious, and was slightly sloped. Reminiscing on enhancing the roar at the stadium, Inoue said "I'll never forget the emotion I felt when I played it from the biggest speaker behind the electronic bulletin board"; Yamazaki recalled "I felt a shiver in the pit of my stomach when I thought that people who actually saw Godzilla would hear this sound." Producer Gō Abe stated that sound effects from the Ichibata Dehani 50 series were utilized for the scene where Godzilla attacks a 63 series train, as the crew sought to enhance the postwar setting through practical sounds. Marketing On June 12, 2023, the film's Twitter account began a daily countdown for all of Toho's live-action Godzilla films, starting with its previous live-action film Shin Godzilla. On July 11, Toho lifted the embargo on its secret kaiju film project, which was revealed as Godzilla Minus One. The film was announced with a teaser trailer, poster (which was primarily designed by Yamazaki), and release dates for Japan and the United States. Merchandise for the film was unveiled the next day with a full-body shot of Godzilla. On July 13, Tamashii unveiled its Godzilla toy for its S.H. MonsterArts line; the toy was sculpted by Yuki Sakai under Yamazaki's supervision and based on 3D data from the film. A series of pre-release products and an exhibit promoting the film was at the exhibition "The Visual World-crafting of YAMAZAKI Takashi, Film Director" in Yamazaki's hometown of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture, from July 15 to October 29. A 2-meter tall Godzilla statue was exhibited at the 2023 Summer Wonder Festival on July 30. At the request of Toho, Hiroaki Fukushi spent roughly one month creating a statue of Godzilla, dubbed "Godzilla Neputa", to promote the film at the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri from August 4 to 8. Two days after releasing a new teaser, Toho released its official trailer alongside the theatrical release poster, central cast and staff members on September 4. On September 14, 15 shots and a visual of Godzilla from the film were released; ticket sales (via Mubichike Online) and flyers for its November 3 release were released the following day. The trailer accumulating over 9 million views on YouTube. During a press conference on September 25, Hamamatsu, the city bordering Lake Hamana (where some scenes in the film were shot), announced that it would promote the film to make the location a tourist attraction by preparing for "location cruising" at the lake in late October. On October 7, behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Godzilla Minus One was broadcast on Channel 4 of TV Shinshu, as part of a television special on Yamazaki, which was narrated by Hidetaka Yoshioka. Toho declared on October 16 that Godzilla Minus One would be the first Japanese movie screened in the 270-degree panoramic film format ScreenX. On October 18, Yamazaki and the film's stars attended its red carpet premiere along Godzilla Street in Kabukichō, Shinjuku; the red carpet was 50.1 meters in length, which is the fictitious height of Godzilla in Godzilla Minus One. Television stations across Japan began airing a television special on Godzilla Minus One in late October. It features interviews with Yamazaki, Kamiki, and Hamabe, and behind-the-scenes footage. On October 23, Yamazaki, Kamiki, and Hamabe attended the red carpet at the opening of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival. To promote the film in Japan, soft drink manufacture Cheerio released a new Chūhai drink called the "Godzilla Energy Chu-hi" on November 6. Selected screenings On August 24, it was announced that, as a prelude to the release of Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki had selected "4 Godzilla Works" for screenings in September and October. An accompanying "talk show" took place before each screening, with Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman (2022) director Shinji Higuchi serving as the guest for the screening of the original 1954 Godzilla film, and suitmaker Keizō Murase serving as the guest for the screening of Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). The third and fourth Godzilla films selected by Yamazaki for screenings are Shusuke Kaneko's Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), and a new black-and-white version of Shin Godzilla created by Hideaki Anno, Higuchi and Katsuro Onoue, respectively. Kaneko and Anno were also the guests at the talk shows for their respective films. Collaborative projects The film was promoted at the Tokyo Dome in collaboration with the Yomiuri Giants in their match against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, taking place on October 1. A "special collaboration" video and a 3.6-meter statue of Godzilla were displayed at the venue. On September 27, Fujita Kanko stated in a press release that the Hakone Kowakien Yunessun hot spring theme park in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture would hold an event in collaboration with the film from October 20, 2023, to January 8, 2024. Release The red carpet premiere was on October 18, 2023, at the theater of Toho Cinemas inside the Shinjuku Toho Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. First responses praised the film as a "masterpiece". It was the closing film at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1, 2023, where it was shown with English subtitles. The film was released nationwide in Japan on November 3, to celebrate the franchise's 70th anniversary. The film was released in 500 theaters nationwide—including in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, MX4D, and ScreenX formats—making it one of Toho's largest domestic distributions to date. An English subtitled version was released in selected Japanese theaters on November 23. 'The American red carpet premiere and screening was at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex in Los Angeles on November 10, 2023, with Yamazaki and Kamiki in attendance. It was also screened by Polygon at Santa Ana's Frida Cinema on November 27, the Japan Society in Manhattan on November 28, and in selected large screens throughout the U.S. the next day. Toho's American subsidiary Toho International released the film in over 1,000 theaters throughout North America on December 1, with English subtitles. The film was released in other Western countries on December 1. These countries included Australia and New Zealand (via local distributor Sugoi Co); Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland (via Peppermint Anime); and Benelux, France, Italy, the Nordics, Poland, and Spain. The New Zealand premiere was on November 22, in Queen Street, Auckland. Anime Limited is slated to release Godzilla Minus One in the United Kingdom and Ireland on December 15. Black-and-white edition Toho released a black-and-white version of the film, titled Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color (ゴジラ-1.0マイナスワン/Cマイナスカラー, Gojira Mainasu Wan/Mainasu Karā), in Japanese theaters on January 12, 2024; Toho International released this version in the United States on January 26, 2024 where it played until February 1. Godzilla Minus One colorist Masahiro Ishiyama was assigned to create Minus Color. Yamazaki proposed that Godzilla's atomic breath remain in color for the black-and-white edition, similar to how Akira Kurosawa's black-and-white crime film High and Low (1963) features red smoke in one scene. However, this concept was rejected by the rest of the crew. In regards to the Minus Color version, the director said in a statement: "Rather than just making it monochrome, it is a cut-by-cut. I had them make adjustments while making full use of various mattes as if they were creating a new movie." Minus Color is an attempt to make it more of a documentary-style horror film, and homage to the 1954 film. This version was also the last credit for producer Shūji Abe, who died on December 11, 2023. At the 96th Academy Awards, Yamazaki and the visual effects team paid tribute to Abe, saying he was "lost too soon". Home media On March 4, 2024, it was announced that Godzilla Minus One is slated to be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray and DVD formats in Japan on May 1. The Ultra HD Blu-ray was revealed as a "deluxe edition" with both the color and black-and-white versions and multiple bonus features; Yamazaki had previously teased the possibility of a "version that has everything, like the super duper deluxe version" when asked if the potential home video release would include both theatrical editions of the film. Forbes reported on March 8 that a UHD box set of the film is also set to be released in the United States. Reception Box office Godzilla Minus One far exceeded Toho's expectations at the worldwide box office. The film debuted at number one at the Japanese box office, grossing ¥1.04 billion ($7.8 million) from 648,577 tickets during its first three days. During its opening weekend, it grossed $1.2 million from 49 IMAX theaters, making it the largest opening for a live-action Japanese film in the format. The film remained at number one for three consecutive weekends and was overtaken by Tonde Saitama ~Biwako Yori Ai o Komete~ in its fourth weekend. As of January 28, 2024, the film has grossed ¥5.59 billion from 3.63 million tickets in Japan. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Animal, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Silent Night, and The Shift, and was projected to gross $11–12 million from 2,308 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $4.7 million on its first day, including $2.1 million from its Wednesday and Thursday previews. It went on to debut to $11 million, finishing in third and breaking the United States opening weekend record for a live-action Japanese film. In North America, it has also become the biggest debut for foreign film in 2023, surpassing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village's opening, and the most successful live-action Japanese movie in history. On December 17, Godzilla Minus One became the sixth-highest-grossing Japanese film of all time in the United States. Soon after, it became one of the over 50 films to gross over $40 million in the U.S. during 2023. Meanwhile, in its opening weekend, the film debuted at second place in Brazil and grossed £816,891 in the United Kingdom. Deadline stated that Godzilla Minus One's wide release is "one of the most successful ever from Japan". Since January 10, 2024, it is the second highest-grossing Japanese film in the United States, having surpassed Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, but remains behind Pokémon: The First Movie (1998). The film holds the American box office record for the highest-grossing Japanese-language film, and surpassing Bong Joon-ho's Parasite (2019) as the third highest-grossing foreign-language film of all time. Godzilla Minus One has grossed $56,418,793 in the United States and Canada; $37,754,224 in Japan; $1,335,289 in Australia; $204,195 in Germany; $5,552,898 in Mexico; $225,061 in the Netherlands; $221,531 in Portugal, $154,198 in Italy; $217,897 in New Zealand; $122,150 in Norway; $228,148 in Spain; and $3,185,119 in the United Kingdom. Toho declared on January 12 that the film had grossed ¥14 billion ($96.44 million) worldwide. It has surpassed Shin Godzilla as the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film ever, grossing approximately $105,618,276 globally. Industry response Godzilla Minus One attained praise from industry figures. Hideaki Anno, co-director of Shin Godzilla, called the film "well-made" and praised the film's technical prowess, saying that Japan has improved in the field of visual effects. Godzilla (2014) director Gareth Edwards admitted to feeling "jealous", adding that "this is what a Godzilla movie should be" and that the film should be "mentioned as a candidate for the best Godzilla movie of all time". At the film's American premiere, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) director Michael Dougherty told Yamazaki and Kamiki that the film was "amazing". Seth Green said "It's a movie filled with a lot of emotions, and I was very moved by it." Guillermo del Toro noted the film's "Theatre-sized ambition and fulfillment" and called it "A Miracle". Edgar Wright expressed that he "loved" the film and recommended it. Filmmakers Adam Wingard (director of Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), Joe Dante, James Ponsoldt, and Juel Taylor listed the film amongst their favorite films of 2023. Blumhouse Productions founder and CEO Jason Blum also named it his favorite movie of the year and expressed his desires for Yamazaki to make a Blumhouse film. Kevin Smith called it "by far the best Godzilla movie that I've ever seen", adding that "The human drama is as interesting as some of the most horrifying Godzilla scenes. We grew up with this character, a guy in a rubber suit stepping on buildings was never all that scary. That f***ing shot of his head in the water, chasing that f***ing boat, is terrifying. It's straight out of f***ing Jaws, man. I can't believe it's taken someone this long to be like, 'Let's do Jaws, but with Godzilla.' Fantastic". Several filmmakers, including John Landis, spoke to Yamazaki and three other members of the visual effects crew while they were at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on January 13, 2024, with some telling him that they believed Godzilla Minus One is the best movie of 2023. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters creators Matt Fraction and Chris Black commend the film's storyline and themes, with Black feeling it was equal to their show and Legendary's Monsterverse films. Video game designer Hideo Kojima hailed the film, saying that "Godzilla, the plot, the VFX, Ifukube's music, Ms. Hamabe's appearance, and the applause afterward" were "nothing but pluses", joking that "the result was +120 points, so I would like to change the title". One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda said that the film was "great" and it inspired him to watch other entries in the series afterward. Manga artist Aka Akasaka called the human drama "wonderful" and admitted that he cried during some scenes. Television producer Nobuyuki Sakuma said that it was "both old and new" and "the power of Godzilla gave me goosebumps many times". Yoshifumi Naoi, the bassist of alternative rock band Bump of Chicken, called it a "truly terrific movie", adding: "in many ways, my body is numb even after watching it". Comedian Shohei Osada watched the film three times, declaring it "too interesting". U.S. performance Several American media analysts and journalists have noted how the film's critical and commercial success in the United States has outdone recent Hollywood tentpoles, particularly superhero films and how the film delivered quality visual effects on a budget below $15 million, a low figure compared with Hollywood films. Comscore's senior analyst Paul Dergarabedian attributed the film's success to "outside-of-the-box thinking or movies that have a unique point of view, or not trying to just replicate what was successful before". He compared the film to similarly successful 2023 films —such as Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Sound of Freedom— that also offered fresh and unorthodox experiences. Dergarabedian argued that audiences do not have fatigue from Godzilla or action films but fatigue from "bad movies". Saba Hamedy from NBC News said that the film proved that action films based on recycled characters can still find success. Sam Williamson from Collider attributed the film's box office success to its low budget. He noted that Japan's labor laws incentivize studios to keep costs low at the expense of the cast and crew. Japanese actor Kanji Furutachi stated that Japan lacks unions for actors and filmmakers, which brings a "low-quality environment with long hours and low wages" and rise to exploitation. Accolades Godzilla Minus One won Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards. It was the first Godzilla film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award, as well as the first Japanese film to receive a nomination and the first overall non-English language film to win in that category. In addition, Yamazaki became the first director since Stanley Kubrick (for 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1969) to be nominated, and win, in the category and visual effects director Kiyoko Shibuya became the first woman of color to be nominated for, and win, in the Best Visual Effects category. At the 19th Austin Film Critics Association Awards, Godzilla Minus One was selected as the sixth best film of 2023 and won Best International Film. The film received nominations for three Asian Film Awards (winning two; Best Visual Effects and Best Sound), four Blue Ribbon Awards (winning three; Best Film, Best Actor for Kamiki, and Best Supporting Actress for Hamabe), four Hōchi Film Awards (winning Best Director for Yamazaki), six Mainichi Film Awards (winning Best Art Direction for Anri Jojo), and four Seattle Film Critics Society Awards (winning three; Best International Film, Best Visual Effects for Yamazaki and Kiyoko Shibuya, and Villain of the Year for Godzilla). Godzilla Minus One won eight of its leading twelve nominations at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay for Yamazaki, and Best Supporting Actress for Sakura Ando, becoming the most-awarded film at that year's ceremony. Potential sequel Director Takashi Yamazaki confirmed that no discussions of a sequel had transpired but expressed interest in directing one. He elaborated that if he were to make a second Godzilla film, he would prefer a direct sequel that would see a "continuation of those people's story" and how their lives proceeded after the events of Godzilla Minus One. On other occasions, Yamazaki has also mention that the next film may feature an antagonizing kaiju for Godzilla to battle and implied that a sequel would explore the curse Godzilla left behind on Japan, similar to the one left behind by the Tatari-gami in Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (1997). Minami Hamabe (who played Noriko Ōishi) added that the film may be the start of a new series, noting "If there is a next series, I might be the one stepping on and crushing people". The possibility of a sequel was largely discussed at a stage greeting held after a screening of the black-and-white version of the film in Tokyo on January 12, 2024, which several cast members attended, while Yamazaki attended remotely as he was presently in the United States. Yamazaki revealed that he wanted the characters to return to the sea once again for the sequel. Yuki Yamada proposed an idea of using Noriko (played by Hamabe) as the key to locating Godzilla since, according to his interpretation, she possesses the monster's "cells". Producer Minami Ichikawa believed that Toho would take their time to produce the next live-action Godzilla film: "Good films are all about quality. We want great ideas, an excellent script, a talented director, and the right cast to work on it carefully. Godzilla deserves to have that level of intentionality." Trivia
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Release Dates
March 2024
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