Godzilla month might have recently come to a close, but there’s more than enough monster action for the month of December. Godzilla Minus One is currently showing in theaters around the world after its early premiere in Japan, but if you prefer to watch the film from the comfort of your couch, then you’ll be pleased with this next bit of news.
Amazon Prime Video in Japan shared a not-so-subtle post on X (Twitter, but with fewer vowels) in which it promoted the four MonsterVerse films on its platform and added a link to the trailer for Godzilla Minus One. While no information was provided to indicate that the streamer was going to add the recently released film to its library, the promo for the trailer all but confirms it.
Godzilla Minus One debuted in Japanese theaters on November 3 in celebration of the franchise’s 70th anniversary, which will be marked next year. Set after the events of World War II in Japan, the film follows Godzilla’s return and the terror he inflicts on a country that is still reeling from the effects of a devastating war.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the Toho Studios film has already grossed $23 million in Japan and $11 million in its first weekend in North America, bringing its total global tally to $35 million.
With a modest production budget of $15 million (cue Hollywood directors gasping), Godzilla Minus One has turned out to be a huge success for Toho, the Japanese studio behind the popular series, proving that you can rejuvenate even the oldest of franchises with just the right idea. In fact, it now seems like Toho is building a grounded Godzilla universe that will shift the attention of audiences away from Hollywood’s MonsterVerse.
Judging from the recent trailer of the upcoming monster flick, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Legendary Pictures’s approach is unique if goofy, turning Godzilla’s iconic atomic breath from blue to pink and outfitting Kong with a gigantic Infinity Gauntlet.
I’m no prophet, but I can foretell that audiences will soon be enamored by future Toho Godzilla projects as Hollywood increasingly transforms the MonsterVerse into something akin to the Fast & Furious franchise.
Going back to Godzilla Minus One, we can’t exactly determine when the film will make its way to Amazon Prime Video, but we can make an educated guess. The 37th film in the Ultraman franchise, Shin Ultraman, was released last year on May 13 in Japanese theaters and added to Prime Video on November 18. Using this as a reference, Godzilla Minus One will likely not land on the platform until May 2024 at the earliest.
We will keep you updated as further information about Godzilla Minus One becomes available.
