After debuting in its home country Japan last month, Toho’s buzzy kaiju film,Godzilla Minus One, finally opened in North America this weekend. The movieexceeded expectations, grossing $11 million across its first three days of release and nearly setting a record for foreign-language titles.Godzilla Minus Onehad already grossed $23 million in Japan heading into its stateside release, which means that the movie has now grossed around $35 million worldwide, against a very minimal reported budget of $15 million.
Godzilla Minus Onedebuted at the number three spot on the domestic box office chart, behind debutanteRenaissance: A Film by Beyoncéand the holdover hitThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, but ahead of two animated titles,Trolls Band TogetherandWish. This marks the second-biggest debut for a foreign-language live-action title, behind onlyJet Li’s 2002 wuxia blockbusterHero, which grossed $18 million in its first weekend and finished its domestic run with over $50 million.
Needless to say, this is the biggest-ever domestic debut for a Japanese live-action film.Godzilla Minus Onehas already grossed over five times what 2016’sShin Godzillamade in its entire domestic run. The movie was particularly popular in the IMAX format, which contributed to over 13% of its domestic sales. The film’s global IMAX take this weekend stood at$1.7 million from 70 locations, and its cumulativeIMAX total has now passed $4.6 million. The film also debuted in Australia, Spain, and Germany this weekend.
The Godzilla Franchise Is Witnessing a Resurgence
Written and directed byTakashi Yamazaki,Godzilla Minus Oneis the 37th overall film intheGodzillafranchise, which began in 1954 and is celebratingits 70th anniversary. It’s the fifth installment in the franchise’s Reiwa era, and the second live-action film of the generation afterShin Godzilla, which concluded its global run with $78 million. Reviews forGodzilla Minus Onehave been spectacular; the film is sitting at a “certified fresh” 97% score on the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, and Collider’sChase Hutchinsoncalled it “among the best entries of this long-running series” in hisreview.
Incidentally, aparallel franchiseis underway in Hollywood, with its next installment,Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, slated for release next year. The MonsterVerse series recently expanded to streaming, with Apple’sMonarch: Legacy of Monsterslive-action series premiering to positive response last month. The franchise’s first film, 2014’sGodzilla, grossed more than $500 million worldwide, while 2019’sGodzilla: King of the Monstersmade a little over $380 million globally, and 2021’sGodzilla vs. Konggenerated $470 million worldwide despite a day-and-date debut on streaming. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Godzilla Minus One
Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.
