‘Godzilla Minus One’ Domestic Box Office Scores Historic Haul

Toho’s Godzilla Minus One continues to roar and atomic blast its way to success. Having earned a total of $14.36 million at the domestic box office, the kaiju movie has now officially set a new record as the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film in North America. Its opening weekend also marked the biggest debut for a foreign film in the U.S. this year. The biggest foreign opening previously this year was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, which opened to $10.1 million in March.

To meet the growing demand, distributor Toho International has expanded the film’s screening locations to 2,540, up from 2,308. Godzilla Minus One surpassed the North American opening earnings of Godzilla 2000: Millennium ($10 million) and the previous record-holder The Adventures of Milo & Otis (a comedy adventure featuring Milo, an orange tabby cat, and Otis, a pug), which grossed $14.1 million in 1989 and during a re-release in 1990.

The film had already made history earlier this week by becoming the first foreign language live-action film in 19 years to sit atop the domestic box office after a stellar Monday, when it grossed $1.23 million domestically. It’s been reviewed wonderfully, and word-of-mouth for the movie is certainly contributing to its long term success.

Currently, the film is sitting at a “certified fresh” 97% score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and Collider’s Chase Hutchinson called it “among the best entries of this long-running series” in his review, which also singled out the immense work of the “undervalued” VFX artists.

Though Godzilla Minus One isn’t afraid of showing Godzilla in all his glory, it also doesn’t go all out right away and instead patiently builds up the looming threat that he represents. The moment where they think they’ve defeated the creature, only to see how quickly it regenerates, is perfectly played as a grim stomach-drop of a moment. It’s the type of film that leans into being a hopeful crowd-pleaser, frequently in a way that undercuts its emotional moments, but the craft behind it remains magnificent. Godzilla Plus One is a film that showcases the art in the often undervalued work of VFX artists. They are as much a key to this film as anything.

Where Can I See ‘Godzilla Minus One’?

Godzilla Minus One is currently playing in theaters. You can get your tickets now.