Toho’sGodzilla Minus Oneis emerging as something of a word-of-mouth phenomenon. After deliveringthe biggest domestic debutfor a live-action foreign-language movie in around two decades, and then following it up by becoming the first live-action foreign-language movieto top the domestic box office,Godzilla Minus Onehas passed a new milestone. After less than a week of release, the kaiju film has grossed $15.7 million in North American theaters, and over $40 million worldwide.
For context, this is a bigger domestic haul than those delivered by recent releases such asNext Goal Wins($6 million),Saltburn($7 million), andThe Holdovers($15.6 million). Directed byTakashi Yamazaki,Godzilla Minus Onehas proven to be so popular, Toho International decided to expand its theater-count to over 2,500 locations, and to ensure that it plays theatrically until at least December 14. Globally, the movie has grossed over $42 million so far, with around $23 million coming from Japan. It should look to pass the $50 million mark this weekend.
Godzilla Minus Oneis no doubt getting a boost from the excellent reviews and audience reactions that it debuted to. The movie sits at a “fresh” 97% score on the aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, with Collider’sChase Hutchinsoncalling it “among the best entries of this long-running series” in hisreview.Godzilla Minus Onealso earned a solid A CinemaScore from opening day audiences, which usually indicates strong legs.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ Is Being Hailed As One of the Best Movies of 2023
Now is agreat time to be a Godzilla fan. Apple TV+ is currently airing the well-reviewed live-action seriesMonarch: Legacy of Monsters, which serves as a prequel to the MonsterVerse movies. The shared universe began in 2014, with director Gareth Edwards’ massively successfulGodzilla, and continued withGodzilla: King of the Monstersin 2019, and withGodzilla vs. Kongin mid-pandemic 2021. Next year, fans will witness the epic team-up between Godzilla and King Kong in directorAdam Wingard’sGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Godzilla Minus Oneis the 37th overall installment in theGodzilla series, and the fifth entry in the franchise’s Reiwa era. It comes seven years after the well-receivedShin Godzilla, which ended its theatrical run with nearly $80 million globally in 2016. The movie is set in postwar Japan of the 1940s, and has been appreciated for its somber tone and timely social commentary. You can watch the film in theaters, and 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.
