Summary
- Godzilla Minus One
, a Toho classic, roars up Netflix charts worldwide, reimagining the original 1954 story post-WWII. - Despite minor fan gripes on physical media availability,
Godzilla Minus One
shines on Netflix, smashing box office records. - Director Yamazaki expresses interest in continuing the Godzilla saga with more monsters, but the human story focus intact.
Six months after Godzilla Minus One blew away box office expectations, one of the greatest movies in the Toho franchise made a surprise debut on Netflix. Questions over when and where the movie would stream have been asked for months, and after teasing something coming in a social media post on Friday, the Oscar-winning Godzilla movie is ready to roar up the Netflix movie chart after arriving on June 1.
Godzilla Minus One
- Release Date
- December 1, 2023
- Director
- Takashi Yamazaki
- Cast
- Ryûnosuke Kamiki , Takayuki Yamada , Sakura Andou
- Writers
- Takashi Yamazaki
- Studio
- Robot Communications, Toho Company, Toho Studios
- Franchise
- Godzilla
Despite this, and the film’s VOD sales and rental launch, there are some fans who still don’t appear happy with this news, and are demanding to know when the film will be available on physical media outside Japan. Back in April, Godzilla Minus One was given a Blu-ray and DVD release date of May 1 in its native country, and the film arrived on Prime Video there two days later. Now, with Netflix hosting the film in many international territories, there is still no sign of whether a physical release will be following shortly.
Outside that minor gripe, the arrival of Godzilla Minus One on Netflix has instantly seen the king of the monsters destroying the chart, and potentially dethroning Jennifer Lopez’s Atlas from its week-long run as the biggest film on the platform. The performance on the movie adds to its kaiju-sized record-breaking run at the box office, which culminated with a worldwide gross of $115 million on just a $15 million budget. While the film’s total may not be the size of a Marvel movie, anyone who knows about the performance of foreign language movies at the U.S. box office will know that it’s $56.4 million domestic haul was incredibly impressive – so much so it outshined the $48.2 million the film earned in Japan.
Will Godzilla Minus One Get a Sequel?
Although there has been no confirmation that Godzilla Minus One will get a direct sequel – even if it is guaranteed that the Godzilla franchise will continue – one person who has already expressed an interest in returning to this particular iteration of the character is director Takashi Yamazaki. While Legendary/Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse has been throwing together the Royal Rumble of Godzilla movies with the likes of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Godzilla Minus One focused much more on the humans caught up in the monster’s destruction.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Yamazaki explained that he would love to do something that he feels has not been done in any previous Godzilla movie by introducing more monsters but maintaining a focus on the human story. He said:
“I don’t know that anyone has pulled off a more serious tone of kaiju-versus-kaiju with human drama, and that challenge is something that I’d like to explore. When you have movies that feature [kaiju battles], I think it’s very easy to put the spotlight and the camera on this massive spectacle, and it detaches itself from the human drama component.”
Godzilla Minus One Is Attracting a Monstrous Level of Piracy
Godzilla Minus One is available on Prime Video overseas but has yet to hit home video globally which has made it a target for piracy.
The continued success of Godzilla Minus One on its international streaming debut could be the push required to get a sequel green-lit. The real question is which other kaiju could be joining the iconic monster if and when that happens.
Godzilla Minus One
is now streaming on Netflix in the U.S., and is also available on VOD services.
