Summary
- Godzilla Minus One breaks the record for the biggest opening weekend ever for a live-action Japanese film in the United States.
- The Giant Monster movie made $11 million domestically.
- In Minus One, Godzilla is portrayed as a deadly force of nature that is utterly ruthless, similar to the way the kaiju was presented in the original film Gojira (1954).
Godzilla is without question the villain this time around. Over the decades, in the nearly 70-year franchise, the King of the Monsters has been portrayed as both a super-powered savior and a fire-breathing foe. And in Godzilla Minus One, post-World War II Japan is threatened again by the overpowering kaiju. In addition, director Takashi Yamazaki’s Giant Monster movie is smashing, of all things, records here in the United States: It’s the biggest debut for a live-action Japanese movie.
According to a report by Luiz Fernando (per @Luiz_Fernando_J), Godzilla Minus One marks the biggest opening weekend ever for a live-action Japanese film here in the U.S. Godzilla Minus One also notched the second-best opening day for a “non-English, live-action” feature film. Only Hero (2002), which stars Jet Li, made more money with $17.8 million.
Godzilla Minus One’s $11 million was good enough to land the No. 3 spot at the box office. And Gojira did it with Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé dropping in cinemas at the same time. The new concert film took the No. 1 slot with $21 million, while The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes won the silver medal with $14.5 million.
Related: Here’s Every Godzilla Movie, Ranked
Godzilla Minus One Exceeds Expectations
Release Date December 1, 2023
Director Takashi Yamazaki
Cast Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Takayuki Yamada, Sakura Andou
Genres Action, Adventure, Drama
Franchise Godzilla
There were clear indications that the King of the Monster’s latest big-screen venture from Toho was going to do right by the Godzilla franchise. First, Godzilla Minus One boasted a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, and won over critics in early press screenings. And then the fans signaled their approval as the film was awarded an “A” CinemaScore and an RT audience score of 98%.
For the diehards, Godzilla will feel more like he did in the gritty dark reality of the original film Gojira (1954) this time around, as opposed to when the kaiju teamed up with Jet Jaguar in the much sillier, kid-oriented Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973). Legendary’s MonsterVerse has also portrayed the heroic side of Godzilla, since 2014. But the Minus One version is a deadly force of nature that is utterly ruthless.
Remember the time Gojira wiped out that poor war veteran who thought the kaiju was actually his friend? That’s the kind of ruthless fans should expect in Godzilla Minus One. Without warning, a point-blank blast of the King’s atomic breath in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) torched the poor guy and demolished the building he was in. Check out the must-see moment from Godzilla history below:
Godzilla Minus One is now playing in theaters. And check out MovieWeb’s Godzilla Minus One review right now. And for those enthusiasts who just can’t get enough of the King of the Monsters, take a look at the brand-new trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
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