Godzilla Minus One, which hit theaters on January 17th, continues to break international records! Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the feature film became a global phenomenon, hailed by audiences and critics as one of the best kaiju films ever made.
To understand the scale of the phenomenon, here are some key figures surrounding this work. As a reminder, Minus One is scheduled to be in French cinemas for 15 days, from January 17 to 31.
A limited budget and a triumph at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki and his teams have achieved real success with Godzilla Minus One. Made on a shoestring budget estimated at around $15 million, the film has just crossed the $100 million mark internationally!
In comparison, the previous Japanese kaiju-centric film, Shin Godzilla (2016), had a budget of around 10 million. The work earned 80 at the worldwide box office, including 75 million in Japan alone and only 1.7 million in the United States.
This time around, most of Minus One’s revenue comes from Uncle Sam’s Country with 51 million. With this score, Yamazaki’s feature film becomes the 5th highest-grossing US film of all time for a non-American film. It also becomes the only non-American work to surpass the 50 million milestone since Parasite in 2019.
To recall, Godzilla Minus One made a splash when it was released in the United States on December 1 and collected $11.4 million in 3 days. It was the second-biggest opening at the US box office for a non-English live-action film behind Hero and its 18 million.
Note that Minus One’s budget is 10 times lower than the last American versions of Godzilla. Gareth Edwards’ 2014 film cost $160 million. The last one, Godzilla VS Kong, claimed a whopping budget of $200 million.
Genius special effects
To compensate for the limited budget, Takashi Yamazaki’s team had to be very creative when creating visual effects. The Minus One team revealed some amazing figures during the Academy Awards ceremony to present the nominees for the Best Special Effects statuette.
The team behind the amazing visual effects of the film consisted of only 35 people! In total, these artists oversaw 610 shots that required computer-generated imagery. This colossal piece of work is to be appreciated because the special effects are convincing and very ingenious! In addition, the design of the monster is absolutely terrifying, including the details down to the smallest scale, a complete success.
2001, The Godzilla Odyssey
Plus, Godzilla Minus One risks breaking another 56-year-old record! If the film wins the Oscar for best special effects, Takashi Yamazaki will be the first director to win the award since Stanley Kubrick in 1968 for 2001, A Space Odyssey.
Indeed, the Japanese filmmaker carefully supervised the visual effects team and was very actively involved in the production of these key scenes. Yamazaki is a big VFX and 3D enthusiast as evidenced by his previous feature films such as Lupine III The First, Space Battleship and The Last Assault.
Will Godzilla’s odyssey end with a historic statue at the Oscars? Answered on March 10. Meanwhile, Minus One is in French cinemas until January 31. As for the American version of the Kaiju, he’ll be back in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire on April 3rd.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
